Haunting Feelings
by crystalvoicedcamelotlady
Summary: Picks up after The Road Home. Chapters 5 through the end are up. Enjoy! Reviews are great!
1. Prologue

**I wrote this story nearly four years ago, and just thought I'd upload it here. Reviews welcome!**

**Prologue**

Over 30 years ago, Catherine Marshall wrote a wonderful story called _Christy_. Catherine's mother, Leonora Wood, was the inspiration for her book. _Christy_ is indeed a thinly veiled biography of Leonora's life in the Smoky Mountains, and about three-fourths of the events that occurred in the book actually did involve Leonora. Though based upon truth, _Christy_ also contains fiction, and is therefore not a real biography.

_Christy _is about a 19-year old girl, Christy Rudd Huddleston, who leaves her comfortable life in Asheville, North Carolina to teach at a mission in the Smoky Mountains of Cutter Gap, Tennessee.

In Cutter Gap, Christy sees terrible poverty and the results of numerous blood feuds. Though Christy is faced with a harsh life, she finds the love of two remarkable young men.

About eight years ago, the CBS television station made _Christy _a weekly series. The television series did not chronologically follow the events in the book, but took those events and used them to make separate episodes.

_Christy, the series,_ was short-lived and cancelled after only two seasons. The abrupt cancellation caused the series to end with Christy standing between the two men who loved her; the two she could not choose between.

I have written this story, or fanfiction as it is properly called, in an attempt to resolve the cliff­hanger and bring closure to the television series that was so unexpectedly ended.

In order to avoid confusion in the series, the original book Appalachia dialogue was lessened and altered. However, I have somewhat tried to bring that back. Since each individual actor has a specific way of speaking, I have tried to write the dialogue as I would envision him or her saying it in the series.

Also, when the television series was created, the characters from the original book were adapted for the screen. Therefore, characters were altered and new ones were added. Since my fanfiction is a conclusion to the series, the characters and their roles are of the series, with add-ins I wanted from the book. Characters I created are not listed. Photos of the cast are included in the back.

Below is some more information that will help you, the reader, better understand my fanfiction.

Daniel Scott, the young black man who ventures to Cutter Gap, was the son of Alice Henderson's mentor, Joseph Scott. Alice did her first mission work when she helped Joseph set up the Negro settlement of Freedom, Kentucky.

In the second season of the television series, Alice and Christy travel to Freedom for Joseph's surprise birthday. Once there, they find that Dan wants to become a doctor. However, Joseph does not want this for his son. Josephs feels that as a black man, Dan will not have a chance.

Shortly after his birthday, Joseph sadly dies of heart failure, and Dan returns to Cutter Gap with Alice and Christy to become Dr. MacNeill's medical apprentice. However, a difficult road awaits Dan, for both Dr. MacNeill and the people of the cove reject him because of his color.

In the series finale of _Christy_, "The Road Home," Dan Scott's home is burned to the ground. Dan blames Bird's-Eye Taylor, who had previously made known his hatred for the black man. Dan tracks and almost kills Bird's-Eye. However, it was innocent Creed Allen, not Bird's-Eye, who set Dan's house aflame by smoking rabbit tobacco in a nearby field.

Also, in the series of _Christy_,Margaret Henderson, Alice's daughter, plays a tremendous part. The story of Margaret is sad and appalling.

Miss Alice grew up in a Quaker community in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. When she was sixteen, Alice bore a child out of wedlock. That child was Margaret.

Through a letter in their quiet Quaker circle, Miss Alice left Margaret as a baby to go to Freedom, KY. Alice's parents thought it would be best if they raised Margaret, but it was not. Joseph Scott knew that Miss Alice needed to be with her child, and he sent her back to Pennsylvania.

It is not really known how long Miss Alice was in Kentucky, but she did return to Pennsylvania to raise her daughter. However, life was difficult for the young Miss Alice and her daughter. Margaret was a headstrong child who was always demanding her mother of something. She grew up selfish, always getting her way and wanting more freedom.

As Margaret grew older, she could no longer stand to be a part of the Quaker circle. Margaret began exploring and making friends from the outside that thought very differently than the Circle. Miss Alice had tried to mold Margaret into another version of herself, and it was this that had caused Margaret to stray.

One day, Margaret demanded from Alice the details of her birth, and Alice told her the truth. Margaret tried to pretend it was glamorous, parading around and calling herself revolting names for everyone to hear. However, Margaret truly felt that her mother blamed her for her existence, and she sank even deeper into the pit of rebellion. Margaret rejected everything that Miss Alice believed in, especially God.

It was around that time Margaret met Neil MacNeill, who was interning at a hospital in Philadelphia. Neil was a hillbilly doctor fresh out of medical school who was completely wrapped up in the world, and he was captured by Margaret's rebellious beauty and fire. Because of where Neil had come from and who he was, Margaret viewed him as an inferior, a perfect match for her who had been born out of shame.

They soon ran away and got married, and Neil took Margaret to his home in Cutter Gap. Miss Alice followed them in a desperate attempt to keep Margaret from breaking all ties. But Margaret resented her mother's coming and could not be happy in the Cove.

However, Miss Alice soon found a purpose in Cutter Gap: the mission. The joy Miss Alice had found blinded her from the unhappiness of her daughter. Surely, she had thought, Margaret could find a purpose in Cutter Gap, too.

Margaret and Neil's marriage, which had not been bound on any true foundation, fell apart. With one last quarrel and hateful word, Margaret ran out. It was a stormy night, and the river ran turbulently. Margaret draped her beautiful red scarf and the locket that her mother had given her at the age of ten on a tree branch and ran. She believed that everything would be easier if she just disappeared.

Neil followed her, and found the scarf and locket as intended, believing that Margaret had drowned. For years, he mourned her death, blaming himself and Alice. Miss Alice, who was deeply hurt, also blamed herself and Neil as well.

At the end of season one in the television series, Margaret returned for a first time to the Cove, along with a traveling traitor named Theodore Harland. Alice, though astounded by her daughter's reappearance, was overjoyed. She wanted so badly to reconcile and reunite with Margaret. However, Margaret wanted none of that. She had come back only to prove that she was alive and make her peace; she would not be staying.

Alice found out Margaret had tuberculosis, and wanted to accompany her for treatment. However, Margaret ran off before Alice had the chance to follow.

In the series finale, "The Road Home," Margaret returns for a second time. She is seen at the speak-easy in El Pano as a dancer. Margaret claims to have come to El Pano on accident, but in truth, she misses her mother and Neil.

Margaret's second reappearance befuddles Christy, and her feelings for Neil, which had silently been growing. Christy always denied any feelings for Neil, but Margaret forced her to examine those emotions more carefully.

Upon her visit to the Teahouse one day, Christy tells Margaret "Dr. MacNeill is worth fighting for." Margaret heeds the advice by going back to Cutter Gap, unbeknownst to anyone. She returns to Neil's cabin.

In utter confusion over her feelings for Neil, Christy seeks out Fairlight, her best friend, and discovers that she does indeed have deep feelings for the good doctor. Christy knows that out of fairness, she must somehow reveal her feelings to Neil, even though his wife is indeed alive.

However, when Christy rides to Neil's cabin to approach him, she finds Neil and Margaret embracing, and races back to the schoolhouse. There, David presents to her a lustrous diamond ring, and a proposal of marriage. Neil, who sees Christy race away from his house, mounts his horse and gallops after her. He sees David's proposal. That is where the television ends and my story begins.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Christy stood between the two men, Neil and David, looking down at the beautiful ring. David loved her, he had said so. But she didn't love him, at least not in that way. She loved him as a brother in Christ, as if he were a member of her family, but not romantically. At one time, Christy thought she had loved David, but she had only loved his kisses, his gentle touch upon her face as they stood in the moonlight. She knew that now.

She looked up into his eyes. She saw urgency, loneliness. Yes, there was love, but it was a love like that of a schoolboy. David had a lot of growing up to do. One day, he would make a wonderful husband, but that day had yet to come.

Then Christy looked to Neil. He sat mounted on his horse, Charlie, just a few feet away from her and David. He had that strange, immeasurable expression on his face that always met Christy's eyes for a moment when she was with him. She wondered what it meant, and why he was there. Did he care for her? Despite Christy's denial of feelings for him, Dr. MacNeill meant more to her than she wanted to admit. It were those feelings she had wanted to express, until she found him and Margaret embracing by the river.

Looking back to David, Christy stepped up to him and softly said, "I—I need more time, David."

David sighed. "That is always what you need, Christy, more time. Haven't you had enough? Answer me! Why the hesitation?" he asked ex­asperatingly, stepping away from her.

"David . . . Please . . . I just need time to—to think," Christy said with difficulty.

"Don't do it, Christy!" Neil half-shouted. Christy looked up in surprise. But she was too late; the doctor had already spurred his horse into a hasty retreat. "Neil! Please! Please don't leave! I—" Christy shouted after him. But she could not finish her sentence, for she did not know what to say.

"Let him go," David said smugly. Christy replied with a glare and sprinted off to the mission, leaving David to contemplate.

Christy stormed inside and went up to her room. She laid the ring box on her dresser and threw herself on the bed and began to cry. Part of her was angry with herself for allowing feelings—no, more than feelings—to develop for a married man, and another part of her seemed to be tearing apart from emotional pain and turmoil.

Because Christy had left Fairlight rather hastily during their previous talk, Fairlight had determined Christy was going to do something impetuous. Thus, Fairlight had headed straight to the mission.

Upon arriving there, Fairlight had wandered into the mission parlor, only to hear Christy's loud footsteps falling across the floor as she ran to her room. Fairlight followed.

"Miss Christy? Canna I come in and talk with ye?"

"Yes, come in," Christy said wearily as she sat up. "Fairlight, why are you here?"

"I come to see how you was doing after our talk," Fairlight said as she sat down beside Christy. "What's ailin' you? Did my questions help?" she asked with motherly concern.

"Yes, Fairlight, but none of that matters now. David asked me to marry him, again, but I can't. Oh, this is so terrible. What should I do? I have hurt David terribly with my refusal to his proposal the other time. I don't want to hurt him any more, but I don't love him. . . ." Christy sobbed, her words pouring out along with her tears.

"Now, Miss Christy. As I told to ma John boy, you can't help who ya love, and you love Dr. MacNeill—"

"Oh, Fairlight, I don't know about that," Christy said, hoping to hide her true feelings for Neil from Fairlight.

"Christy, I know it mightnt seem to you that way, but deep in ya, ye do. And he too. I can see it in his eyes."

Suddenly Christy thought about the unfathomable looks Neil always gave her. Were they were looks of love and longing? Or were they looks of pity and compassion, nothing more? Despite Christy's own doubts, she knew the looks were of deep origin inside Neil's heart. When he had told her and Becky the story of the lonely Selkie on that stormy night, he had looked at her like that. When she had come down from his room wearing Margaret's lavender dress, his eye's had burned with feeling. Even when they argued, that look was there.

"I told ye so," Fairlight said, snapping her back to the present.

"Fairlight, how did you—"

"Christy, them eyes of yours are like a pair a blue mirrors to yer soul, that allow anyone to see whats yer a thinkin' bout. I reckon Neil sees hit, too," Fairlight said gently, handing Christy a handkerchief. "It was Neil's cabin that you went to taday after our talk, weren't it," she stated.

Christy sighed, "Yes, Fairlight. I saw him with Margaret! That's why I came back. I ran into David's arms and that's when he asked me to marry him."

"Christy, Neil don't care none for Miss Margaret. He done forgot­ten all 'bout her. He only cares for you."

"But he's a married man, Fairlight! I can't lov—be involved with a married man!"

"I know Miss Christy. But don't you fret bout this. God'll work it out, just you follow yer heart." And with that, Fairlight got up and left the room.

As soon as Fairlight left, Miss Alice entered. Christy stiffened, wondering if Miss Alice would ask her how she felt about Neil now. Christy remembered the other time Miss Alice shunned her; when she had seen Christy and Neil growing close.

"Christy, I heard what happened today. Art thou all right?" she asked as she sat down beside Christy.

"Yes, Miss Alice. But this is so confusing! What should I do? I don't love David like he wants me to, and . . . I . . ." this was hard for Christy to say. She had barely admitted these feelings to herself. "I . . . I have feelings for Neil, and . . . more."

Miss Alice smiled and placed her hand upon Christy's face. "I know, I know. But, thee must realize that Neil is still a married man. Not by love, but by duty. Both your reputations could be at stake. However, God does not see thee at fault for thy feelings for Neil. In fact, God put them there, for a reason. You are not at fault. Thee did not know Neil was married when thee came here."

"I just sincerely hoped that he and Margaret could be happy." At the mention of Margaret, Miss Alice became rigid. "Miss Alice, you have to forgive Margaret. I don't think she has much time left."

"Christy, I don't think I can do that. The night when she came parading into the church, she said she wished that she had not been born unto me. And I granted that wish. She is no longer my daughter. There is no room left in me to forgive her. She has taken all hope for her out of me. There is nothing left."

"Miss Alice, I know Margaret has been incredibly terrible to you, but I went to the Teahouse, and I saw the locket that you gave Margaret when she was younger. I know, I shouldn't have went through her things, but. . . ." she trailed off, waiting for Miss Alice to say something. Miss Alice just sat there pa­tiently, so Christy continued, "You and Neil were in the locket. When Margaret caught me, I asked if she missed you. She said it didn't mat­ter. But she does miss you. I know that. If you can give her one more chance."

"She misses us?" Miss Alice asked quietly, surprised, though suspicious.

"Yes, she does. Please, give her a chance. She is at Neil's right now, because . . . because I told her that . . . that Neil was worth fight­ing for."

"Thee told her to come back?"

"Yes."

"Oh, child, you are truly remarkable," Miss Alice said. "I am leaving on a retreat tomorrow for a couple of days to sort everything in my mind out with God. Christy, I think it would be best if thee went on thine own retreat. Not to the mountains, but to thy home."

"That sounds fine, Miss Alice. Is it possible for David to take over school for me? I shouldn't be gone long." In her mind, Christy was wondering if she could ever return.

"Thy wish shall be granted," Miss Alice said with a shaky smile as she got up.

"Miss Alice, before you go on your own retreat, you should go talk to Margaret."

"Thee should also. I will keep thee in my prayers." Miss Alice was just about to leave when she thought of something else she could tell Christy. "This verse is one of my favorites, may you carry it with you always: 'Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about every­thing; tell God your needs, and don't forget to thank him for his an­swers.' " With that, Miss Alice walked out of the room, leaving Christy with her reflections.

Neil was lost in deep thought while riding away from the school­house, and Christy. What had he expected? That she would im­mediately run to him and declare her love for him? Neil had never even declared his own feelings for her. He didn't even know how she felt. He would never know. He was a married man.

With the thought of Margaret, Neil wished that she would not be there when he returned to his cabin. Immediately, he cursed himself for thinking such a thought. Neil remembered Christy saying that he could not just "wish away Margaret." She was right, but how could he commit his life to someone that he did not even care for?

Not wanting to go back to Margaret, Neil headed toward his own secret place, a place no one else knew about. He had hoped to share it with Christy, but that dream was shattered now.

Back at Neil MacNeill's cabin, Margaret was thinking about how she had almost won "Mac" back. She thought she had sensed a little reconciliation while they were embracing. But now, all that was demolished. He only cared for the schoolteacher.

Margaret knew she was not welcome here, not now, and probably never would be. Her only hope was that "Pollyanna" would up and decide to leave the Cove. Only then would she perhaps have one more chance with Mac.

The next day, Christy packed all of her things and headed to El Pano. She would ride Prince there, and then have Ben Pentland, the mailman, bring him back to Cutter Gap. Just before Christy mounted, Miss Alice rode up on Goldie.

"I see that we are both leaving today, Miss Huddleston. Art thou sure thee would not like some company?"

"I think it's best I go alone. I'll be all right. Are you going up to God's Fist?"

"I am indeed. Christy, before I leave, I wanted to give this to you." She pushed a piece of folded blue paper into Christy's hand. Christy looked up at her with tear-filled eyes and Alice knew it was time for them to part.

"Thank you for everything, Miss Alice." Christy didn't know what else to say, so she squeezed Miss Alice's hand and mounted Prince.

As Christy trotted farther and farther away from the mission, she willed herself not to look back. She knew that if she did, she would see Miss Alice's compassionate gaze drilling into her. Christy knew Miss Alice could see right through her; she knew Christy was leaving, for good. One lone tear fell down Christy's cheek. She wiped it away and patted Prince's neck. Pulling him up, she opened the note Miss Alice had given her and read:

Dearest Christy,

I know thou hast faced many challenges, and I don't blame or judge thee for going home. Please, if you decide to stay, remember us always. I love thee as my own daughter. Always hold on to joy.

Miss Alice

"Oh, Prince, what am I going to do? I can't face this place again. I have already hurt everyone around me." Christy was so concen­trated on her own thoughts that she did not hear another horse approaching from behind.

"Why, Miss Huddleston, I did not know you found such interest in talking to a horse."

Christy did not need to look back to know who was behind her. She would recognize, and remember, that Scottish brogue anywhere. It was Neil. It surprised her, for knowing Neil, after what had happened, he would be avoiding her, not confronting her.

"Of course, Neil. Didn't you know Prince understands every word that is said to him?" Christy said in a choked voice. She could not turn to face him.

Sensing Christy's discomfort, he asked, "Where are you headed to on this fine day?"

"I—ah—I'm going on a bit of a retreat." Christy said uncom­fortably. Neil said nothing. "Why Neil MacNeill, you have never been one to be at a loss for words," she said, finally bringing her horse even with his and forcing herself to look at him.

"I was just thinking about Margaret, Miss Huddleston. Don't ever think that I'm at a loss for words," he said teasingly, but tensely.

Christy felt a wave of disappointment wash over her at the mention of him thinking of Margaret. She rebuked herself for such feelings. After all, Neil and Margaret were married. "Neil, is something wrong?"

"I don't know. I have a strange feeling that something is going to happen. It is not a bad feeling, but not a good one either. Have you ever felt that way? It is quite haunting that most of the time, the feelings prove themselves to be true."

"It isn't haunting, Neil."

"Now why is that?" he asked, looking at her with a measured expression.

"Have you ever even considered that it's God who puts those feelings in you? To try and tell you something?" This time, Dr. MacNeill really _was_ at a loss for words.

"Ah, so I have finally knocked you speechless." Christy said triumphantly. Deciding earlier to visit Margaret before she left, Christy changed the subject and asked, "Do you mind if I pay Margaret a visit?"

"Uh, sure," Neil said, and under his breath, "Maybe you can knock some sense into her."

Soon, they were at the doctor's cabin. While he took his horse to the barn, Christy called out for Margaret. She tethered Prince's reins to the hitching post and proceeded to climb the flight of steps.

Christy knocked on the door, and Margaret answered. Shocked by Margaret's appearance, Christy had to stifle a gasp. Margaret was wearing the same lavender dress Christy had bor­rowed the day she'd fallen in the river.

Though Margaret had looked quite well at the Teahouse, her tuberculosis plagued her more than anyone thought. The walk to Neil's cabin had placed too much stress upon her frail body, and she had fallen sick.

Christy stood at the door, staring at Margaret. The dress hung loosely upon her, and her beautiful hair was matted and had lost its shine. Christy had envied Margaret's beauty since the first day they met, and despite Christy's anger, she felt sorry for Margaret.

"Well, if it isn't Miss Pollyanna," Margaret said mockingly, jolting Christy out of her stare.

"Margaret, I have to come to talk with you, before I leave the Cove. May I come in?"

"You're leaving the Cove?" Margaret asked hopefully.

"Yes. I now see I can't remain here anymore."

"I see. Well, come in."

As Christy entered, she saw that Neil's cabin had been made immaculate. "Your cabin looks very nice, Mrs. MacNeill."

"Miss Huddleston, would you please not call me that. You are more Mrs. MacNeill than I am," Margaret muttered as she sat down at the table and roughly pushed out a chair for Christy.

Flustered, Christy did not know how to answer Margaret's accusation. For a few minutes, they sat in silence, until the gracious side of Margaret asked,

"Would you like something to drink?"

"Yes, I would. Thank you." Margaret nodded and went about preparing a mild juice from the deliciously sweet late berries that were falling all over the Cove. When they were both seated and sipping the juice, Christy broke the silence by saying,

"Margaret, I have come to offer my apologies and forgiveness to you. I am sorry that we could not have been friends. I am also sorry for butting into your possessions at the Teahouse. It was wrong of me." Margaret was obviously knocked off guard by Christy's words, and said nothing, so Christy continued, "I also came here to tell you that I forgive you. I forgive you for the sorrow that you caused your mother, and Dr. MacNeill. I not only forgive you for these things, I thank you for un­knowingly revealing things to me that I had not seen until you came back. I hope you can reconcile with Miss Alice and Dr. MacNeill."

Margaret sat utterly stunned. Christy's words somewhat an­gered her and befuddled her. Before Margaret could give a nasty re­mark, Christy said,

"Thank you so much for the juice. It was lovely. I shall be going now." With that, Christy patted Margaret's hand and left the cabin for Prince. With a deep breath, she mounted him, took one last look at Neil's cabin and then spurred him away. For the second time, she was riding away because of Margaret. In a blur of tears, Christy did not hear hoof beats behind her.

"Christy! Wait!" Neil shouted. This only made Christy urge Prince on faster. _I will have to become more aware of hoof beats behind me_, she thought. Finally, when she reached the point where she should turn for El Pano, she slowed Prince, who was glad for a rest from his breakneck pace. Christy was not surprised Neil was still behind her. "Christy, please."

"Neil, I just had to talk to Margaret. Please, I want to get on to my retreat."

"Christy, I—" He wanted to know what she had wanted when she came to his cabin the day before, and why she had quickly ridden off at the sight of Margaret.

Neil knew he faced the chance of getting hurt by asking this, but he was hurt so much already, what was a little more pain? On the other hand, he could be healed. Actually, he only dreamed of getting healed. At this moment, Neil knew any possibility of that was improbable, for Christy would never go against what she believed.

"Neil! Please!" Christy cried out, not trying to stop the tears coming down her face.

Neil stared at Christy, a bit taken aback by her outbreak. He wouldn't have been surprised if Margaret had said something terrible to her Not wanting to fight, he asked, "How long will you be gone?"

"I—I'm not sure, Doctor. I must be going now. Good-bye."

Neil didn't want to have to bear the hurt of knowing that she had accepted the Reverend's proposal, but he knew beyond a doubt that she was making a mistake. "Christy, don't marry someone you don't love! It won't work! If you do, you will be forever haunted. Don't do it, don't!" he said. "Take it from someone who knows."

Christy said nothing. She could not look at him. He would see straight through her. Sighing, Neil said, "Good-bye." Christy turned Prince towards El Pano, but before she could urge him into a gallop, Neil shouted, "Christy! Wait!" Wondering (and hoping) at Neil's words, she quickly wheeled Prince back around to face him. _What could he possibly have to say now?_ She wondered. "Christy, I just wanted to say that I am sorry, sorry for all that's happened."

"So am I Neil, so am I."

At the train station in El Pano, Christy went to the ticket win­dow, not sure if she could do what had to be done. "One-way ticket to Asheville, please."

"Yes, ma'am, here you go."

"Thank you."

Christy's train would not arrive until the next morning, so she went to the general store. Compared to Asheville's stores, The El Pano General Store was quite drab. But, oh! There was so much that the mountain people could use!

Though she had very little money left after buying her ticket, Christy couldn't resist wandering over to the books and picking a few out.

As she thumbed through the books, she came upon a poetry book. _I bet Rob Allen would love this!_ she thought. Christy picked it up and kept looking. Suddenly, she wondered why she had gotten the book if she was not going back to Cutter Gap. _Must be a reflex_, she thought, _but I'll get it anyway_. The next book she came upon was called "The Old Flame." She decided to get that one for her journey.

After purchasing her items, Christy went to Mrs. Tatum's house to see if she could stay the night. It was late after­noon.

When Christy knocked on the door, Mrs. Tatum opened it imme­diately.

"Christy, dear child! How good it is to see you! How is every­thing going?" Seeing Christy's weary look, Mrs. Tatum asked, "Dear child. Whatever is wrong?"

Though Christy knew she would be bombarded by endless ques­tions, she asked if she could stay the night.

"Of course. Where are you going?"

With a choked voice, Christy blurted out, "I am going home. I would stay if I could, but I can't! I will never be able to go back!" Christy poured out her whole story to the older lady, and for once, Mrs. Tatum didn't get a word in edgewise. As the sun set, Mrs. Tatum sent her up to her room to freshen up.

As Christy splashed water on her face, she recalled Mrs. Tatum's last words, "If Cutter Gap is your one and only home, you will find a way back there. If you are _really, truly_ bound there, God will guide you there, no matter what happens. As for your two men, if one of them is to be your soul-mate, then you will also find a way back to him, no matter what. I believe that two special people are bonded to­gether unknowingly at birth, and nothing will ever come in their way." That was sure something to think about.

After dinner, Christy retreated to her room and fell into a dream­less, fitful sleep. Arising early the next morning to Mrs. Tatum's puttering around the kitchen, she gathered her things and prepared to leave.

"Good morning. Are you ready to leave?"

"I hope so. Mrs. Tatum, I thank you so much for helping me. To listen to my poor excuses for problems is probably quite an annoy­ance to you. Thank you for putting up with me. I shall come visit you as much as I can."

"Dear Christy, it is my pleasure to be able to help you. I truly thought you would never survive in Cutter Gap, but now I see that it has had to survive _you_. Here is some breakfast. Have a good train ride."

"Thank you so much. By the way, where is your husband? I guess I just now noticed that he was gone."

"Oh, he went on some hunting trip. Men!" The two women smiled and shared a long embrace and then Christy left for her train.

As she boarded on the train, she felt terribly lonely. Christy opened her book and began to read. Before she knew it, she had drifted off into dreamland. . . .

"Neil, where are we going?"

"Just wait and see," he said, turning around to give her a blinding smile.

Christy's beautiful lavender-lace sprigged wedding dress flowed out behind her as she hugged Neil's waist. He urged Charlie on at full speed until they reached a beautiful spot with bright green grass and a wonderful smell. There was a light mist and a large waterfall. Neil lifted her off and they strolled hand in hand towards the waterfall. As quick as a deer, Neil jumped through it, pulling Christy with him. She laughed with delight as she came out with her hair plastered to her face. Neil gently kissed her and led her through the cave that was behind the waterfall. Christy looked around to see the walls sparkling with pyrite and quartz. It was incredibly beautiful. Down the cave even further, there was a light. It appeared to be blue. When they reached the light, they came upon a large circular room with a large hole in the middle, in both the ceiling and the ground. The hole in the ground was filled with sparkling water and the hole in the middle of the ceiling, from which light was emitted, revealed that the room was covered with a kind of blue quartz.

"Sapphire," Neil said, "just like your eyes." Then. . . .

Christy awoke with a start as her book hit the floor. "Neil," she cried out, still not fully out of her dream. Christy was shocked when she saw who was sitting across from her, and immediately blushed. . . .


	3. Chapter 2

Thanks for the reviews! Hope you are enjoying it. Here is the next chapter.

**Chapter 2**

"Margaret? What on earth are you doing here?"

"I am going to Asheville," Margaret replied a bit warily.

"Whatever for?"

"I am going to get annulment papers, since Mac and I were married in Asheville. When we have cleared it all up, I am going for more treatment, with Mother."

"But, I don't understand—"

"No, Christy. I _am not_ running away this time. I left letters for Neil and Mother. I asked Mother to meet me in Knoxville in a week, for treatment." Christy noticed that this time, Margaret did not call her "Pollyanna."

"They do not know you are here?"

"No. Christy, when you came to Neil's cabin and talked to me, I realized how cruel and spiteful I was. Right now, I am going to say that I am sorry. I am still quite angry with Mother and Mac, but I will not run this time. Forgive me if I go off on you."

Christy was doubly shocked at the change in Margaret, and asked, "What changed you attitude Margaret? Was it God?" Margaret laughed in her old malicious manner, but said only slightly sarcastically,

"No, I simply kept hearing your words in my ear and I thought how I would feel if some of my Teahouse friends were treated even half as bad as I have treated Mother and Neil. However, I still feel that they are greatly at fault and I still blame them."

Christy cringed at the mention of the Teahouse and saw that Margaret was still herself, but her slight change in attitude was a step in the right direction, and Christy was happy for her. "Margaret, you can't get a annulment. I know you love Neil, and he will stand by you."

"I am doing this for the two of you—"

"Margaret, no. There is nothing between us. But what I meant when I said that you couldn't get an annulment is this: the Cove does not believe in divorce or annulment of any kind. Even if you legally break all ties with him, the Cove will still see him as married. Married to you. You need to stay by him, as his wife," Christy said matter-of-factly.

"No, Christy. I can't and I won't stay. This is my fault. I want to fix it. I can't come between your love."

"Margaret. I do not love him! Don't go through with the annul­ment. As I said at your cabin, I'm not going back to the Cove," Christy uttered as she gazed out the train window.

"Ever?"

"At this point, no."

"You won't change your mind?"

"No."

"I am sorry, but I still aim to set Mac free. I was never his wife, the entire Cove saw that. I didn't stay around. The Cove must certainly realize that we were never really married. Won't they under­stand?"

"I don't know Margaret. But, please, don't blame yourself so much. This is partly my fault, too, for allowing myself to care for someone lik—" Christy stopped, realizing what she had just said.

"You don't have to hide it, Christy. I heard you call his name when you were waking up awhile ago." Christy blushed ferociously, again, and turned her cheek to the cool glass of the window. Right then the conductor called out,

"Now in Asheville, North Carolina. Please exit on the north end, and thank you for riding."

"Margaret," Christy said politely as she stood up, "you must stay with us."

"No, Christy, I think it would be best if I didn't. I am going to the courthouse and then to the TB clinic here, to see if there are any medications that they can send with me to Knoxville. I will stay at the clinic. I'm leaving for Knoxville tomorrow evening."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Good-bye, Christy."

"Good-bye."

At about the same time that Margaret and Christy were getting off their train in Asheville, Neil MacNeill was returning to his cabin after a morning of fishing. As he entered, he found that Margaret was nowhere to be seen, and that there was an envelope on the table. Half-knowing what he was about to find, he picked it up and began to read:

September 19

Dear Mac,

By the time you read this, I will probably be in Asheville. Are you surprised to be reading this? I know our marriage has failed, and I have gone to Asheville to acquire some annulment papers. I will send them to you and all you have to do is sign them and send them back to the Asheville courthouse, along with a letter telling of our marriage, that you accept the papers, etc. Then, you will be free to love who you are meant to love, and I think you do know who I'm talking about.

Do not worry about my medical status, for I am going to Knoxville to get treatment. The doctors at the Asheville clinic told me that I would re­ceive the best of treatment in Knoxville. I have asked Mother to meet me there in a week.

I will al­ways love you, Mac, and I will forever regret the part that I played in our marriage. I am not sure where I will go or what I will do after my treatment, but I know that I cannot go back to Cutter Gap. I have an interest in theater and singing, so maybe that is where I am headed.

You should know, Mac, that I have decided to try and fix my life because of Christy. You will never know how great she truly is. Good-bye, my Mac.

Yours forever,

Margaret

Neil could not believe that Margaret had written to him and apologized. He also wondered what in the world Christy could have said to her. Christy never ceased to amaze him. He shook his head in wonderment and placed the letter up on the mantle beside the clock.

Christy's earlier words regarding his strange feelings came back to him, "Have you ever even considered that it's God who puts those feelings in you? To try and tell you something?" The strange feeling that some­thing was going to happen had come true. Margaret had begun to turn over a new leaf.

Was it really God who, through Christy, had helped Margaret? Neil mocked himself for asking such questions. But his thoughts turned to Christy once more. It was she who challenged him to ask himself these questions.

Neil knew it would be best if he and Margaret were annulled. When the annulment was cleared, he would be free to love Christy, but would she let him? After all that had happened? Would he himself be able to? What would the Cove think?

Neil sighed and stepped onto the porch to look at the river. Memories came back to him. This was _their_ river. He remembered their chance meeting in the moonlight that Bessie had seen. He remem­bered the day Christy had come to tell him about Dan Scott, when she had burned their chicken dinner. Then a bad memory came: Margaret, and how Christy had run away when she had seen them together.

Neil was walking back inside when he heard a branch snap, followed by footsteps. "Who goes there?" he called out. A moment later, a woman leading her horse appeared. Her horse was wearing a strange saddle. It appeared to be western, and had a beautiful design on the shiny, black leather.

The woman was even more striking. She had longest, most beautiful red, almost orange, hair that Neil had ever seen. It was high­lighted with streaks of blond and flowed gently in the breeze. Her eyes were as big as Christy's and were a bright green that sparkled and crackled with darker green specks. In fact, she looked a bit like Ruby Mae. She wasn't wearing a traditional woman's dress, not even a riding skirt, but what looked to be men's trousers!

Her horse, which appeared to be finely bred, was stocky and muscular. He was the most beautiful shade of a strawberry roan that Neil had ever thought could belong to a horse. His mane was strangely almost the exact same color as his owner's. Realizing that he had been staring, Neil asked, "What can I do for ya?"

The woman replied, "My name is Keri Abilene Loving, and I have been riding through these parts. My horse has thrown a shoe. Can you help me?"

"Of course. My name is Neil MacNeill, the physician here in Cutter Gap. Give me a minute, and I will fetch my tools." Still struck by the beauty of Miss Keri Loving and her horse, Neil slipped down to the barn and retrieved his blacksmith tools. When he returned to the front of his cabin, he said to Keri, "Actually, why don't you bring your horse down to the barn. I can work better there."

"All right."

As they walked to the barn together, Neil wondered what a woman was doing riding in these parts with such a fine horse and tack. "If you don't mind my asking, what are you, a woman, doing riding out here, with such a fine horse?"

"I don't know, Doctor. Are women not allowed to ride horses out here?"

"I didn't mean it like that. People just don't see a woman wearing a man's clothing riding a fine horse around here everyday," he smiled.

"I see. Well, I am from Colorado. I wanted to move to a place where I could raise horses, and Tennessee seemed like a good a place as any. I have been scouting the area for a while. There is a wonderful clearing around here."

"Yes, that is owned by the mission. And might I add, if you raise horses as fine as the one you have now, they won't be around for long. But why Tennessee? There must be a thousand places to raise horses between here and Colorado."

"I . . . ah . . . I have always been drawn to Tennessee," she said uncomfortably.

Neil was puzzled at her hesitation. "I see. Where did you get this horse?" he queried, motioning to the beautiful animal.

"This is my foundation stud, Bonnie Prince Charlie III," Keri said proudly.

"What a name for a horse! Bonnie Prince Charlie was quite a man. It is he who is the mountain people's ancestor. My horse is named Charlie, also. Are you Scottish?"

"I was born in Scotland, but I am actually Irish. My parents died when I was young, so I was taken to America. My father used to tell me about Bonnie Prince Charlie when I was just a baby. That's all I remember about them."

"I'm sorry," Neil paused, thinking about his own parents. "How long are you going to stay here?"

"Well, I really like the land by the mission. Do you think I would be able to buy it?"

"I don't know. You know, over in Low Gap there is a whole meadow of unowned land that is just as good as that of the mission's."

"Oh, is Low Gap very far from here?"

"Not too far. Ah, here we are," Neil said as they entered the barn. "Why don't you tie him up over there," he said, pointing to a long, worn rail. "Do you have the shoe?" Neil paused, admiring the saddle once more. "By the way, where did you get such a fine saddle?"

"Yes, I have the shoe. The saddle was my adoptive father's grandfather's. I was told never to sell it, that the saddle had been there when my great-grandfather first settled in Colorado. I guard it with my life all of the time," Keri said with a homesick look on her face. A moment later she added, "I really appreciate this. I do fear, though, that when Charlie threw his shoe and stumbled, he hurt himself." She bent down and ran her hand down along his foreleg. "Yes, it feels quite warm. I'm afraid he'll be out of commission for about a week. Is there anywhere that I could stay?"

"I'm sure the mission would take you in. There we go, Charlie. What a good boy," Neil said as he finished, stroking Charlie's neck. "I can take you there today, if you'd like. It isn't too terribly far, and I have a poultice that you can use for Charlie. Will he be able to make it?"

"That would be fine. Thank you. I'm sure he will be all right."

"You can ride with me and lead your horse. There is no sense in you walking to the mission. I can see that you are quite exhausted."

"That's all right. I am fine, really."

"No, you are riding with me. I am a doctor, Miss Loving. I am trained to see everything, and you are quite tired."

"All right," Keri said, giving up.

Neil saddled up _his_ Charlie and led him out of the barn and up to the cabin. Neil quickly went into his laboratory to fill his saddlebags with medicine to refill the mission medicine cabinet.

Keri led _her_ Charlie up beside Neil and he gave her a lift up behind him.

They rode in silence with Charlie limping slightly behind. "Dr. MacNeill, you never said where you grew up. The way you talk, one would think you had moved from Scotland," Keri said.

"I was born in my cabin. As a young man, I was very fortunate when three professors asked me to go along with them on their hunting trip as a guide. I told them of my interest to be a doctor, and they offered to pay for my schooling. I attended medical school in Edinburgh, Scotland, but decided to come back here."

"You really love these people don't you?"

"I have devoted my life in trying to help them. Sometimes I wonder if I am doing any good."

"I'm sure you are. I believe that when you are around the peo­ple a lot, you do not see sudden changes in them."

"Aye, you are right. Not much more farther, now," Neil said as they rode into the mission clearing.

"Is there any way that I can repay you for this? The way some stories go, if I had asked just anyone to help me, I would have been mugged or shot," Keri said.

"There is no need to repay me, Miss Loving. Some of the people here are quite violent, mostly a result of the moonshine. However, though you probably wouldn't have received any help from many of them, they usually don't harm women. You'll find that there are some very good people here."

"Yes, there are some good people here," Keri said with an en­gaging smile. "But, no, Doctor, I insist, let my pay you back."

"You are just as stubborn as some of the mountain people. But if you insist, I will think of something." Neil looked over his shoulder to see her bright green eyes sparkling, and he smiled.

They approached the mission and David came out to greet them. When David saw that it was MacNeill, he scowled. But when he saw the woman behind him in the saddle, he smiled smugly.

_The little scamp_, Neil thought, for he knew exactly what David was thinking. "Hello, Reverend," he said as politely as he could. "This is Miss Keri Loving. She was riding through when her horse threw a shoe and injured himself. She needs a place to stay, and I was wonder­ing if she'd be able to stay here."

"Hello, Doctor. Miss Loving, my name is Reverend David Grantland. Yes, you can stay here. I'm sure Ruby Mae would be de­lighted to have someone to talk to," David smiled.

"Where's Alice?" Neil asked as Keri dismounted.

"Alice went up to God's Fist. She should be back tomorrow morning," David said.

At Keri's puzzled regarding the people of the mission, David explained, "Alice Henderson is the head of the mission, and Ruby Mae is the young lady who lives here. She has been very lonely lately. I'm sure she would enjoy your company. Please, come in, let me take your belongings," he said. Keri nodded her thanks and untied her belongings and handed them to David.

"I must be going, Reverend. I'm going over to Low Gap and will be back in three days. If you run into trouble, find Dan Scott. Here's supplies and medicine to replenish your stock," Dr. MacNeill said, handing David the items.

"All right. Good-bye, Dr. MacNeill."

"Good-bye, Doctor, thanks for everything!" Keri shouted after him. "Where can I put my horse?" she asked David. He motioned to the barn below the mission and Keri excused herself to unsaddle Charlie. Once he was tended to, she went inside, where a strange smell immediately met her. "What in the world is that, Mr. Grantland?" Keri called out.

"That, Miss Loving, is Ruby Mae's possum surprise. And please, call me David," he said, coming up behind her with her bags. "Where would you like me to put these?"

"Possum? I—ah—" she stammered, oblivious to the question of her bags.

"Don't worry, it's not as bad as you think, just don't each too much at once."

"All right, David. I am too hungry to care, anyway. And, you can call me Keri."

"Preacher! Preacher! It's ready!" Ruby Mae called, as she ran out of the kitchen. "Who's this, Preacher? My name's Ruby Mae Morrison, and I live and cook here at this here mission," she said, sticking out a possum-laden hand. "Lordy! Them are some mite strange clothes. Here, Preacher, let me take her bags, she can stay with me in my room. I hope ya like it. It ain't nuttin much, but Miss Christy made it real purty and made it smell nice. But first you just gotta try my pos­sum surprise!"

Keri looked at David overwhelmingly, who just smiled. "Don't mind her," he said, "she's just lonely. 'Miss Christy,' or Christy Huddleston, went to her home in Asheville the day before yesterday. Christy's the teacher here. She usually gets bombarded with the major­ity of Ruby Mae's chatter.

"Christy didn't say when she would be back, so I guess you're designated to listen to Ruby Mae. However, I think you'd sleep better if you stayed in Christy's room, for I do fear that Ruby Mae could 'talk water up a hill', even in her sleep!"

"Thank you, David. Well, let's go eat some possum surprise!"

Dan Scott had spent the days since his almost-murder-of-Bird's-Eye Taylor in deep thought. He had been tormented and tortured by those thoughts. Every single thing around him seemed a grave reminder of his near tragic actions. Dan could no longer sleep peacefully at night. Finally, he had decided that he would think best away from it all. So, Dan was going to find his very own place in the Cove. A place only he knew about, where he could think.

Though it was dark, the moon provided a sufficient pathway, and Dan mounted his horse and started to ride away from the remains of his cabin.

Dan rode through the trees for quite a while before coming upon a small ravine. Slowly, he dismounted and led his horse down into it. Amidst huge boulders near the walls of the gorge, Dan discovered a large cave opening.

Daniel Scott would be the last person to be afraid of ghosts or goblins, but the dark cave scared him a bit. Granny Barclay's stories didn't help that matter much, either. Lighting a torch, he carefully and cautiously unsaddled, fed, and tied his horse up and entered the cave. Inside, the cave had rocks arranged in such a way that it looked livable, so Dan lit a couple more torches and began to arrange his items. He would stay there until he had his thoughts sorted out. It was so peaceful, dark, and mind soothing.

As he ate his meager dinner, Dan thought about Bird's-Eye. Dan knew he had to apologize to Bird's-Eye, but he didn't exactly want to get shot.

Into the wee hours of the night, Dan stayed up. His problem kept bothering him. Though Dan had said a few silent prayers to God to help him now and then, he had not fully asked for the Almighty's help. But now, al­most delirious from lack of sleep, Dan prayed out to God for the first time in days. He was angry with God for making him who he was, angry with God for bringing him to Cutter Gap, and angry with God for bringing such heathen people into his life. Dan didn't want anything to do with the likes of Bird's-Eye Taylor, but just dismissing him did not convince Dan's conscience that it was right. He spoke into the darkness of the night:

"God, why did you do this to me? Why did you bring me here? I can see that I will never be accepted, or respected. Especially since I have made such a breech between Bird's-Eye and myself. I have to fix it. Please God, forgive me for my stubbornness towards you and help me to learn to love Bird's-Eye. Please, make my wrenching soul peaceful."

Tears of relief and exasperation were running down Dan's face by the time he had finished. A wonderful feeling of cool peacefulness mixed with warm reassurance circled his heart and held, and Dan knew God was with him, and would help him.

Finally, Dan fell asleep.


	4. Chapter 3

Enjoy!

**Chapter 3**

The next morning, Christy awoke in her room to the in­viting sounds of bacon, eggs, sausage, and toast. It smelled _so_ good to her, beating possum any day. Christy got dressed and looked around her room; it was quite messy. She tidied it up and unpacked her valise. Finally, the inviting smells overwhelmed her and she went down for breakfast.

The very sun itself couldn't have made Julia Huddleston's face glow more. She was overjoyed at her daughter's return. When Christy had said she was coming back to stay, William literally had to re­strain his wife from enclosing Christy in a bear hug. Though Julia was usually quite reserved, and very proper by society standards, her action towards Christy had not surprised William. He had been the one who was bombarded with the majority of his wife's worries about their daughter. So, of course, he knew better than anyone how happy Julia was.

Christy sat down at the table to her father reading his paper. She missed George, who was off at a pre-college clinic for the week. He had only one more year in high school before he graduated. Christy suddenly felt old, for her little brother was about to start college!

"Good morning, Mother, Daddy."

"Did you sleep well?" Julia asked as she put a heaping plate of sausage on the table and sat down.

"Yes, I certainly did. May I say the blessing?"

"Of course."

"Dear God, I thank you for letting me be here back with my family and for letting me have such memories in Cutter Gap. Bless this food and help our family to have a wonderful day. Amen." When Christy mentioned Cutter Gap, her eyes filled with tears. She kept see­ing Mountie's big blue eyes and Ruby Mae's bright red hair.

_Why am I acting like this?_ She thought _I did what was best. The children would not be done justice with a teacher who was tortured by personal matters!_

"Amen," her parents said, interrupting her thoughts. Christy helped herself and began to eat. She was famished, for her last meal had been only a small lunch the previous day when she was on the train. Upon arriving in Asheville, Christy had been so exhausted that she merely told her parents she was there to stay, headed up to her room, and then fell asleep in her bed barely before changing into her nightgown. Christy had thought nothing of dinner.

"Christy, Thomas Livingston is having a grand party tomorrow tonight, and I would like to take you shopping for a dress today. You remember Lance Livingston, don't you?" Julia inquired of her daughter.

Christy groaned, for she was really in no mood for a party. After thinking about it for a few moments, she reconsidered. Christy had not been to a party for a long time. It might turn out to be fun. "All right, Mother. That would be nice."

"Good, then we will leave before lunch."

Christy turned her thoughts to Lance. He was her longtime friend and an accomplished horseman. She would try and remember to ask him if he could coach her. While living in Cutter Gap, she had needed horsemanship skills badly. Even though Christy thought it would be pointless to learn, since she wouldn't be returning to Cutter Gap, she had enjoyed riding while there.

Other memories of Lance flooded Christy's mind. She remem­bered when they were in the eighth grade how he had escorted her to her first dance. However, Christy was so nervous that when she tried to dance, she had stepped on her dress and ripped it. She ran off in tears. Lance had followed her and said, trying to comfort her, "It's all right, Christy. Don't cry. I think that you are a great dancer. Your dress was probably too long, anyway. That's why you stepped on it." Christy smiled. She had always thought that she would one day marry Lance. How things had changed!

A few hours later, Christy changed into one of her more elegant dresses and left with her mother to find a new dress for the party.

"Christy, you only told your father and I that you were back for good this time, but you never told us why. I am so overjoyed to have you back, but I cannot see someone as determined as you are just de­ciding to come home, especially after making it clear that you wanted to stay the last time we visited you. What is it Christy? Why did you come back?"

"Mother, I just decided that Cutter Gap was not working out for me," Christy said, not being able to look her mother in the eye.

"It's because of Neil and David, isn't it? You have still not decided?"

"Mother, it's nothing like that, I just—"

"Christy, dear. Please, I know what it's like to be torn between two men. Just listen to me, all right?" Christy nodded, intrigued. Had her mother faced a struggle similar to her own?

"Before I met your father, I had two suitors I could not choose between. I was young—your age—and in what would now be your high school. I know it may surprise you, but yes, even I wanted higher learning. In those days, women did not often complete high school, but I so desperately wanted to.

"Anyway, in my elevated math class, I met a very smart and charming young man. We soon started courting. I enjoyed being with him and he was from a wealthy family, which satisfied my parents. At the same time, I became good friends with another young man in my drama class who had a great passion for theater. He was from a very poor family and was only at school because of his wealthy cousins. We shared everything on our minds. I never thought of him as more than a good friend, but he stirred things deep inside me that the other young man never did." Christy was eerily shocked over how her mother's relationship with the poor man so closely matched her own relationship with Neil.

"It frightened me," Julia continued, "and I didn't know what to think, for the wealthy young man never made me feel that way. I started avoiding them both, and when the semester was up, I transferred to another school. In my parting words, I told them that the other school had more things to offer me. I have regretted that day often. However, I met your father and was given the most wonderful daughter ever," she smiled. "I have always wondered what might have happened if I had stayed."

"Mother, how come you never told me this?"

"I felt that I never needed to." Julia stopped in front of a dress shop. "Well, let's go in this store. You can tell me your story later."

Still turning over in her mind her mother's story, Christy stepped into a world of blinding colors and wonderful smells. She looked at each dress, finally coming upon a deeply colored cerulean dress that was made of the softest silk. It was very beautiful, and she knew that it was the perfect one for the party. After paying for it, with much protesting from Christy when she found out the price, they left for their favorite restau­rant to eat lunch.

"Mother, thank you so much for the dress. I've forgotten how much fun it can be to shop," Christy said as they left the restaurant, feeling very full. "Of course, one day is enough. In Cutter Gap, the only 'shopping' I do—did, was usually done in the woods, looking for materials to teach the children with."

"You miss them very much, don't you?" Julia inquired as they strolled down the streets.

"Yes, I suppose I do, but it was for the best."

"Why is that? Christy, you must tell me, or I will fear forever that something very bad and deadly happened to someone."

Christy took a deep breath and smiled a little, "It was nothing like that Mother. Well, you know that David proposed to me, and Neil and I had become very good friends. It was like you said earlier. Neil has stirred many feelings in me that I do not have with David," Christy fal­tered, "like—like the young man you regarded as your good friend, and only your good friend," she said, trying to cover up.

"Some­times, those feelings were ones of anger. Neil has made me so angry sometimes I was literally shaking," she said, smiling as she remembered their encounters. "On the other hand, he has not al­ways made me angry. He has opened my eyes to so many things. It was through him that I truly found my faith. He challenged me in what I believed, which I soon found out that I did not know. It was through those challenges that I became closer to God. Much as I wanted to bring Neil closer to God, it was just the other way around." Christy stopped, wondering if she could go on.

"It's all right, Christy. Keep going," Julia said softly.

"Well, David bought me a hard-earned ring and again asked me to marry him. I was more doubtful this time, because of Neil. I con­fronted my dearest friend, Fairlight, and she asked me these questions: 'Who do you think of when you first get up in the morning?' I an­swered David. 'Who is the last person you think of before you go to sleep?' I answered David. 'Who makes your blood boil?' It was to this question that I answered, 'Neil, MacNeill, but he has nothing to do with this,' I had said hastily. Finally she asked me, 'Who's your best friend, Christy? Who do you tell your deepest thoughts to?' It was to that question also that I answered Neil, and I knew that I could not marry David. I knew that I never told David my deepest thoughts, and even though I did love him, it was not enough. We did not have the friend­ship that Neil and I did. But—I—I do not love Neil; I just don't love David enough.

"I rode over to Neil's cabin, because I wanted to tell him how much I respected him and how much I cherished our friendship. I saw him and his wife, Margaret, who had come back for a second time, em­bracing by the river. I immediately took off and went back to the schoolhouse, I ran into David's arms and he held out the ring and asked me to marry him. Neil had followed me, and it was there that I stood, between the two of them. I decided to leave." Christy knew she had said too much about her true feelings, but by the time she had finished, they had reached the steps of their beautiful home. It felt good to be able to unload her bottled up feelings to someone that cared.

"Oh, Christy, I am so sorry. You love Neil, don't you? I sim­ply cannot bear the thought of my daughter in love with a mountain man, but I think that I truly did love John, even if he was poor."

"No, Mother, I don't love Neil. He is my good friend. I was—ah, just startled seeing him and his wife together, since she had been gone all this time. I merely ran off because I didn't want to interrupt them, and I knew if Margaret saw us talking, she would get the wrong idea," Christy finished lamely.

"Christy, it is not a sin to be in love."

"I am not in love!"

"Only you will know this Christy. We will discuss this later," Julia looked levelly at her daughter.

Christy sighed, and went to talk to her father. She guessed that he was in the library, reading. Her guess proved to be right, and she said, "Hello, Daddy. I'm sorry that I have not been able to talk to you and see how you have been doing since my last visit."

"That's all right, Little Miss," William said affectionately, look­ing up from his newspaper. "I am doing quite well. I owe my life to Doctor Neil MacNeill. I don't know how you convinced your mother to let him treat me," he chuckled. "Tell me, exactly how did you con­vince your mother?"

"Well," Christy said, taking a seat beside him, "it was not ex­actly me who did. You see, I took Mother over to see Swannie O'Teale. Mother wanted to help me convince Swannie to take the food we were giving her. Neil—Doctor MacNeill came with some gingerbread for the children. He had success­fully treated Becky O'Teale's trachoma, and she gave him a beautiful picture of the first thing she saw when she had been able to see again. It was then that Mother decided to let Doctor MacNeill examine you, and I am so glad that he did."

"Yes, I am glad to be here, but even more glad to see you. But Christy, I can see that this is no longer your home anymore. You are not happy here."

"Daddy, it just wasn't working out there for me. This is my home," Christy said, hiding her eyes.

"I know it might not seem to you this way, but I can see it in you that you are bound to Cutter Gap, even if you don't see it yourself. By the way," he asked with a sly smile, "how is Doctor MacNeill doing?"

Christy's head snapped up, "He—uh—is doing fine." Chang­ing the subject, she asked, "Have you been able to walk without your cane yet?"

"Yes, I am almost able to. I know heaven is to be a wonderful place, but I don't know what I would have done if I went to heaven knowing that I had hurt my Little Miss."

"Oh, Daddy, I'm so glad you are still here. You have to give me away at my wedding."

"And to whom will I give you away? Would it be Ne—"

"William, Christy! Dinner is ready."

"May I escort you, Christy Huddleston, to the finest dinner in Asheville?" he asked courtly-like, standing up.

Christy, still blushing from her father's almost made comment, replied, "Of course," and she took his arm and they went off to dinner.

Back at the mission, Miss Alice was cooking dinner, since she didn't want all of Keri's meals to consist of possum.

"Miss Alice, David said that there was a schoolteacher, Christy Huddleston who went away for awhile. Do you know when she will be back? I'd like to meet her," Keri asked, coming up beside Miss Alice with some potatoes.

Miss Alice turned and smiled at the young woman. She knew Keri was buzzing with curiosity after all that she had heard about the teacher "She went back to her home in Asheville for good, or so she thought. I do think she will be back, though. I believe that God has bound her forever to this place."

"Why in the world did she leave? How could anyone leave this place?" Keri asked as she peeled her potato.

"Ah, Miss Loving, there are a fair amount of things that are not good in these mountains."

"Yes, I have seen places like this, and I fear that I have not seen the worst yet, either. However, I would not describe this place as 'God forsaken,' as many people say, for I think that God has only been shut out by the fear and pride of these people. He is here. He just has yet to be accepted by the people as a kind, merciful, loving God."

Miss Alice brightened, "I could have not said it better myself, Miss Loving. It is our job here at the mission to open the people's eyes to the true God."

"If you don't mind my asking, then why did Miss Huddleston leave?" Keri queried once more.

"Miss Huddleston had some very overwhelming personal mat­ters that she needed to sort out." Suddenly, an idea dawned on Miss Alice, "Miss Loving, do thee have any experience in teaching chil­dren? I know that thou art merely passing through, but would thee mind teaching the children part time? Until Christy returns? I know they would love to have you. If desired, I would be happy to assist thee."

"Why yes, Miss Alice! I taught my sister's schoolchildren while she went on her honeymoon for a month. She went to Ireland. That is where our roots are," Keri said with a dreamy look on her face. "I would love to go there one day. But, yes, Miss Alice, I would be happy to. When would you like me to start?"

"It would probably be best if thee started the day after tomor­row. Do you have knowledge of higher math or science? There are a few students that are quite proficient in those areas."

"Yes, I know a bit about Earth Science, you know, the study of rocks and such."

Miss Alice nodded, "Good, I will have David tell the children tomorrow. Keri, I don't know how to thank thee. I know David will be glad to have some of the strain taken off of him."

"What will David be glad about?" David asked as he entered the mission house.

"Oh, David! Miss Loving has agreed to help teach the chil­dren. She knows of some higher science, and will be helping the older children," Miss Alice bubbled with a smile.

"You are a godsend, Keri. The students like Zady Spencer have been thirsting for more ever since Christy left for her retreat," David said as he strode over to Miss Alice.

"I am delighted, too, David. Well, shall we eat? And, by the way, where is Ruby Mae?" Miss Alice said.

David replied, "I sent her over to Bessie's house for dinner."

As they sat down, there was a knock on the door.

"I'll get it," David said as he stood up. He opened the door to find Uncle Bogg. "What can I do for you, Bogg?"

"Howdy, Preacher. I was in El Pano today and saw that good ol' Prince was in the Livery Stable. I figgered that Miss Christy had rode him there and would be wantin' someone to bring 'im back. So that's just what I done."

"Why, thank you. Do you want to join us for dinner?" David asked.

"I cain't tonight, but ya think I could take somethin' with me?"

"Sure, wait right here," and David went back into the mission house. Bogg stood there waiting, wondering if the Preacher would get him a pie. David then emerged with a large blueberry pie. "Here you go. Miss Alice just made this today." Bogg took the pie eagerly and handed Prince over to David.

"Thank ye kindly. I'll be seein' ya."

"Bye, Bogg. Thank you."

As Miss Alice and Keri waited for David to put Prince up, Miss Alice suddenly remembered the letter that she had found in her cabin when she had woken up that morning. "Will you excuse me? I will be right back. I have an important letter that I need to read."

"Of course, but hurry back. You don't want to miss the food that is not possum, do you?" Keri said with a smile.

"I will indeed hurry back, Miss Loving!"

"Say, Keri," David said as he came back into the mission, pon­dering something, "did Miss Alice happen to mention where Christy went for her retreat?"

"Yes, she did. Christy went to her home, to Asheville."

As Alice made her way to the piano bench in the parlor, she took out the letter and partially expected to find Christy's handwriting. However, this script was rather different. Quite puzzled, Miss Alice sat down on the piano bench and began to read:

September 19

Dear Mother,

By the time you read this, I will probably be in Knoxville. The Asheville clinic said I would receive the best treatment there for my tuberculosis. Don't worry, I am not running away this time. In fact, I am asking you to meet me in Knoxville in a week to accompany me. I know we ex­changed hateful words at our last meeting. Please, find it in yourself to give me one more chance. What I need to say can­not be expressed in this letter. Please come. I hope we can talk a bit.

It was Christy who made me decide to stop running. I know that I am your only daughter, but I am grateful that there is someone like Christy for you. She is the daughter you should have had. I know this will sadden you, but I have sent annulment papers to Neil. He should not be burdened by me when he is in love with someone else. There is no other way. Please, if you will, meet me in Knoxville in a week.

Your daughter,

Margaret

Miss Alice sat stunned. She was very shocked at Margaret's sudden change in the letter. After her talk with Christy, Miss Alice had been willing to give her daughter another chance, and had almost visited Margaret before going on her retreat. However, something had held her back. Fear, dread maybe? It had haunted Miss Alice during her retreat. But as always, God had comforted her. This letter was the answer to Miss Alice's prayers. "Thank thee, Lord. Thank thee so much."

Miss Alice read the letter again. She knew Margaret had a long ways to go before she would be completely new in spirit, but Christy had planted a seed. For that, Alice was eternally grateful. She was glad for the five days that she had before she would go to Margaret. It would take that long to get things in order. How she wished Christy were there! Alice sighed and then headed back to the table, to find Keri and David laughing. "What is so funny?"

"Oh, Miss Alice!" Keri said laughingly, "When I was peeling potatoes for the stew, I accidentally placed the peels in the pie. Oh, you should taste this pie! Cherries and potato peels do not exactly mix."

Miss Alice laughed joyously, partly because of the funny mis­take and partly because of her newfound joy that Margaret wanted to sort things out. "That is quite an interesting mixture, but I have a more serious announcement to make." Keri and David immediately sobered and Miss Alice continued, "I have a letter that Margaret left for me. She has gone to Knoxville for treatment and I must meet her there in five days. I am sorry to burden thee, David, but I must go. I will ask Fairlight to come back and help, and Christy should return before, if not soon, after I leave."

David's face was a mixture of joy and relief for Miss Alice and Margaret. He was so happy that Margaret had given Miss Alice another chance. Keri looked quite puzzled and turned to Miss Alice with ques­tions written all over her face. The Quaker briefly explained, and when she had finished, Keri sat there, shocked. "I—ah—I will be happy to help while you are away. My horse's injury will probably take its own sweet time to heal, so I will be here for awhile."

"Thou art a great relief, Keri. Is there anything the mission can do for you in return?"

"Actually, there is. Could I talk to you after dinner?"

"Of course. Well, I think now is a good time to eat the dinner, potato-cherry pie and all!" They all smiled and started to eat. After the dishes were cleared and everything cleaned up, Keri told Miss Alice of her dream to raise prize horses in the Smoky Mountains. After finish­ing, Keri said worriedly,

"I know this is probably not the right time to ask but. . . ."

"No, thou art right. This is very good horse country. I have an idea. This mission is not owned by myself, but by Dr. Jacob Ferrand. I don't think that he would be willing to sell the land. But, there is a fair amount of land over by Low Gap. I would be willing to see if thee would be able to claim that."

"Yes, Dr. MacNeill said the same thing. I think it would be great. I would love to stay in this area, and help with the mission, if that would be of any help to you."

"Oh, yes, Keri, it would. As soon as I have seen to it that my daughter is receiving treatment and I have reconciled with her, I would be happy to get the land for thee."

"Oh, thank you! I don't know how I could ever repay you!" Keri stood up and flung her arms around Miss Alice.

"Well, could you repay us by maybe playing a tune or two on the piano? I heard you playing this morning when I came up for break­fast."

Keri blushed. "Of course. It's the least that I can do." She sat down and began to play Beethoven's "Fur Elise". Through the night, the joyous playing of a piano accompanied by happy voices rang through the Cove.

Miss Alice only wished that Christy could be there to share the happy moment. David's mind was also on Christy. . .


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Mother, can you help me? I cannot find a necklace to go with this dress," Christy called out the next evening from her room.

"Of course, I have the perfect thing. Hold on," Julia replied from down the hall.

Christy turned and looked in the mirror, admiring the beautiful dress that twirled around her. She had piled up her hair in braids, just like Miss Alice, on the very top of her head, with curls cascading down the sides of her face.

"Ah, here we go. Oh, Christy, you look stunning. I am so glad that you decided to go tonight. Here, let me put this on you." Julia drew the five jewel sapphire necklace around Christy's neck and hooked it. "There we go. Are you ready?"

Christy nodded, "Yes, I suppose so. Tonight should be quite fun. Only there will be violins that replace Jeb Spencer's dulcimer for music."

"And other young men instead of Neil, only he can't be re­placed," Julia finished.

Christy sighed, "Mother, I—"

"I will have none of that now. I said yesterday that we would finish this conversation and I intend to keep my word, so spit it out. As much as you would like me to believe that this is your home, and as much as I want it to be, your heart is elsewhere. You cannot deny it forever. So, tell me," Julia softly stipulated, pulling her daughter to sit beside her on the bed.

Dazed by her mother's words, Christy began to cry. "Oh Mother, when Fairlight asked me who I told me deepest thoughts to and made me realize that I loved Neil, I wanted to shout out to the world. I knew that I couldn't have him, because he was married. It broke my heart so badly. I did not think that I could bear it. Cutter Gap is my home, but I just can't go back. I can't love a married man! I'm sur­prised you have not shunned me."

"Christy, dear, from what you have told me, it seems as if your feelings for Neil developed before you knew Margaret existed. Do not curse yourself for this. Love will find a way."

"Oh Mother, even though Margaret has sent annulment papers to Neil, I just can't go back and face him. I know I have hurt David clear to his soul, and I just cannot bear causing him pain every day that I see him. I just simply cannot!" Christy allowed her mother to hold her while all of her tears washed her soul of the burdens she had been hold­ing. Christy didn't think she had the strength to do what was right, but bible verses started playing through her mind: _I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,_ and _Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you._

Christy said a silent prayer, _Dear God, please take my burdens from me and allow me to face what I must. Let it be your will. Amen._ And with that prayer, Christy knew that she had to go home. She knew that she had to make things right, and no matter how ugly they got, God would be with her.

"I am going home, Mother," was all Christy said.

"Christy," William knocked on her door, "you have a very spe­cial visitor here to see you. You had better come down this instant."

Looking at her mother in surprise, Christy wondered who it could be. Just for a second, she allowed herself to think it was Neil, but he didn't even know where she was. Could it be Lance? _Most likely_, she reasoned. Christy straightened her dress and fixed her hair and then descended the stairs. She was shocked and unprepared for what, rather who, stood at the bottom of the stairs

"David? What in the world are you doing here? I thought—I mean—How did you know I was here?"

"A visitor at the mission told me you were here. I just knew I had to come and make things right," he said uncertainly.

"A visitor?"

"Yes, she is very interesting. I'll tell you about her later," he paused. "Christy, I'm so glad to see you."

"I am glad to see you, too. As you can see," she said, beckon­ing blushingly to her fancy outfit, "I am about ready to attend a party. Would you like to go with me? I would certainly be happy to have a friend from home," Christy said, looking at her mother and stressing the word 'home', "accompany me there."

"As friends, Christy?" David asked with quiet determination.

Surprised, Christy said, "Yes, David, as friends."

Julia, standing with her husband, looked proudly at her daugh­ter. How she wished that she would marry the Reverend! But Julia knew what a wonder the heart was, and smiled. "Well, William," she whispered, "Christy will be leaving us once again."

"Yes, but she misses her home." They smiled at each other and William said to David and Christy, "Shall we go?"

"Yes, let's," Christy said, looking forward to an evening of dancing. Whispering to David, she said, "Can we talk when we get back?"

"Of course, Christy, I have so much to say."

"As do I."

At the Livingston's lavish house, Christy was greeted by Lance, who swept her into his arms the moment she got down from the carriage. Christy noticed that not one trace of jealously could be read on David's face, and she was glad. When Lance released her, David stepped up and extended his hand.

"I don't believe that we have met. My name's David Grantland. I am the minister from Cutter Gap. Christy and I live and work at the mission there."

Lance shook hands with David, "Name's Lance Livingston. I've known Christy since we were born! Good to have her back for good in her real home."

David looked at Christy in surprise. She mouthed, "Tell you later." He nodded and turned back to Lance. "Well, shall we escort this young lady in?"

Lance looked at David dubiously, and said, "Certainly." Much to Christy's astonishment, they both took one of her arms and led her into the house. Christy giggled and looked at the two men who were having a time embarrassing her. David knew he was going to like Lance.

"Looks like Christy will have three men to choose from," William said jokingly.

"William! That is not even funny!" Julia chuckled and allowed her husband to escort her inside.

William looked at Julia with happiness. He was so glad that his wife had finally found peace about her daughter.

Inside the Livingston's home, Christy looked around with awe. She had not been in the house for a long time, and it seemed more beau­tiful than ever. David and Lance escorted her over to Lance's father, where he greeted her with a hearty smile,

"Christy, how good to see you! How are things back at your mission?"

"They are great. It's been a good visit home, but I miss it."

"'Tis good. Enjoy the night!" At that moment, the orchestra struck up a classical tune, and before anyone else could ask, David bowed to Christy and asked, "May I have this dance?"

"Of course, Reverend." Christy curtsied and then was pulled into the whirling nature of the dance. A bit into the dance David asked,

"Christy, I thought you were only going a retreat home. Lance said you are staying, is that true?" He looked questioningly into her eyes.

"No, David. I left the mission thinking that I would never come back. I thought that I wouldn't be able to face you, or Neil. But God has once again shown me that I am meant to be in Cutter Gap, no matter what has happened or what may happen in the future." Because of the tears welling up in her eyes, David only said,

"I am glad that you will be going back." A few moments later the dance ended, and the next one began. Lance walked out onto the floor and asked,

"Christy? May I have the honor of this dance?"

"Of course," she said as they began to dance.

"Christy, I am so very glad to have you back here. I've missed you. Did you miss me?" he asked hopefully.

"Lance—I—I'm not here to stay. God has showed me that my place is in Cutter Gap. I will be returning in a few days. In reply to your question, I have missed you yourself, and our friendship, but I have not missed Asheville."

"Oh, I see," he paused. "Well, I am glad that you have found your place. I have found mine, also. I want to become a minister. Do you think David would be willing to talk to me?"

"Yes, Lance, I'm sure that he would." Pausing a moment, con­sidering, she asked, "Can I ask you a favor?" For added convincing, Christy teasingly batted her eyelashes up at him.

Lance laughed, "Certainly."

"Well, you see, back in Cutter Gap, a horse is almost the most valuable thing there is, and I would like to go back to Cutter Gap with some better skills. I would also like to buy a horse to take back. Would you be willing to help me?"

"I'd be delighted, Christy! That would be fun. How about we meet at the stables in a couple of days. Would Wednesday be all right? I'll give you some pointers and then we can look for a horse. I know of a wonderful horse ranch just about a mile out of town. We could take my father's motorcar, if you'd like."

"I would like that very much. Thank you." The rest of the night, David and Lance talked about what becoming a minister meant and Christy talked with a few of her friends. As the last dance was being played, a waltz, she wished Neil were there. Her unhappy thoughts were interrupted by David, who said knowingly,

"Christy, I know that I am no substitute when it comes to Dr. MacNeill and his dancing, but would you dance this waltz with me?"

Blushing, Christy accepted. At the end of the dance, tears were streaming down her face and she said,

"I can't wait to go home, David, but will you stay at our house tonight? There are so many things we have to talk about."

"Yes, I will. I just want you to know Christy, I cherish our friendship so very much. I hope you will agree with me."

"Oh, I do, David!" she said as they headed back to Christy's home.

Dan Scott, after having spent a day in his cave, returned to his home and had been relentlessly working on it ever since. He had been trying to gather up the courage to go apologize to Bird's-Eye dur­ing the past few days, but had only become more and more doubtful. But as he finished the outline of his house, Dan knew it was now or never, so he put aside his work and headed to the Taylor's home. On the way, he shot an especially large rabbit and decided to take it with him. _Maybe Bird's-Eye will like this for supper tonight_, he reasoned. As Dan neared the Taylors' home, he called out,

"Bird's-Eye Taylor? I've come to talk to you." Bird's-Eye emerged from behind his cabin, shotgun in hand.

"Whada you want?" he asked, coming down the rise to meet Dan.

"I've just come to say I was sorry for accusing you."

"Don't want no 'pologies from no black 'un. Get out," Bird's-Eye said, raising his gun.

"Please, Mr. Taylor. I was very wrong and I wouldn't blame you if you shot me right hear and now, but I just want you to know that I'm very sorry, more than you'll ever know," Dan said, standing his ground.

"Waal, I should shoot ya, but seein' you can't defend yerself, you bein' just a poor black 'un, I ain't gonna," he said mockingly. Dan chose to ignore this and said shakingly,

"While I was walking over here, I shot this rabbit, and since I don't need it, I thought you might want it.

"Yep, heard ya shoot it. Sounded like it was on my land."

"Guess so. Since I, ah, shot it on your land, guess it's yours," Dan said, offering him the rabbit. As Bird's-Eye took it, Dan turned and walked away as quickly and calmly as he could.

Bird's-Eye stood there for a long while and watched Dan leave, thinking about how he didn't seem so different than the mission folks. And they were white.

Back at the Huddleston's home, Christy changed out of her elegant dress and met David in the parlor. She didn't know how to start so she simply said,

"David, I—I love Neil MacNeill. I have loved him for a long time, but I have been sightless to it. It was Fairlight who opened my eyes. I have been foolish not to see it. And it was my foolishness that hurt you. I am so, so sorry David. I cannot marry you. It would not be fair. I only hope that you will find someone to love you as you ought to be loved."

"I am sorry, too, Christy. I tried to blind myself from the love I saw that you and Neil had. I was jealous and befuddled as to what you would see in him. I hurt myself more than you did by doing that to my­self. I kept pressuring you, trying to make you love me. I am sorry for doing that to you. I would be honored if you still considered my your brother and your friend."

"Of course, David. I have your ring in my room. Let me go get it." When she returned, she handed him the box and said, "I know you will find someone one day who returns your love."

"I hope so." There was a moment of silence before David said, "Ah, yes. About our newest mission visitor. Her name is Keri Loving. She is looking to start a horse ranch in the mountains, and her horse cast a shoe while she was passing through. Luckily, she was near Dr. MacNeill's and he rode her to the mission. As it turns out, she is ad­vanced in science and is teaching the children a bit."

"I can't wait to meet her."

"Yes, she is nice. Also, Miss Alice received a letter from Margaret. She is going to Knoxville with Margaret, probably as soon as you return."

"I know. Margaret and I met on the train." They talked awhile longer, and when Christy felt her eyelids drooping, she said, "I am so glad we have been able to work this out. Well, it is late, so I'll see you in the morning. Lance and I are going to go look for a horse for me on Wednesday. I am going to buy it and bring it back to the mission."

"Christy! A horse is expensive. How are you going to pay for it?"

"I have some money in the bank. The mission needs another horse, David. You know that as well as I."

"Yes, but still. It is a lot of money!"

"David, it is with my money that I want to use to buy my horse. Don't worry! Good night."

"Sleep well, and don't dream too much about Neil."

"David Grantland! Why, I—"

"Goodnight, Christy."


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

For the next two days, Christy spent her time going to another party and trying to fit back in with her friends. However, she just could not spring back into the life that had once consumed her. She felt as if a part of her were missing. Though she was happy to see her friends, Christy was glad when Wednesday finally arrived.

On Wednesday morning, Christy awoke early, ready to learn more about horses and horsemanship. She would rather do something else, but at this point, anything was better than hearing endless strings of gossip. Her services were needed at the mission, and if that included knowing how to ride a horse, she was determined to do the best she pos­sibly could. Christy put on her riding skirt and went downstairs.

"Good morning, Miss Huddleston, and how did you dream—I mean sleep?" David asked with a cunning grin.

"David! If you don't—"

"David and Christy! If I didn't know better, I'd say that you were brother and sister!" William said with a laugh as he came down the stairs.

"We are Daddy, we are."

"I see. Well, are you ready for a day of riding? I would come, but of course have a case today. Say, Reverend, would you like to come to court and witness some law action?"

"I'd be delighted," David said with a smile.

"Good."

"Daddy, where is Mother?" Christy asked.

"She is still sleeping. Apparently, the party was quite tiring for her last night."

"I see," Christy said. "Well, I guess I'll make some bacon and eggs."

"No, this is your last day here; I'll make breakfast," David said firmly.

"Thank you, David," Christy and her father both said at the same time.

By the time Christy had eaten pancakes, sausage, bacon, eggs, and grape juice, she was full to the brim. "Thank you, David. I'd best be going. Have fun in the courthouse."

"Have fun riding."

As Christy walked to the bank to get some money for her horse, she could just see herself sailing over the horse's head. She pushed out that thought and continued her walk. After going to the bank, she started for the town stables. When Christy got there, Lance was waiting with two horses: a dappled gray and a bay.

"Hello, Lance. How are you?"

"I'm fine and dandy. Are you ready?" Christy walked around the horses and saw that the gray was wearing a sidesaddle.

"I'm sorry, but I meant to tell you that I want to ride astride. It's not your fault. I'll just go get another saddle," she said as she headed to the tackroom.

Lance just stood there, shaking his head at the amazing person he was going to ride with.

When Christy had the right saddle on the gray she asked his name.

"It's Skeeter."

"That is an unusual name," Christy mused.

"Yes, it is. Ok, now, I know that you have had a bit of riding instruction, so concentrate on what you know and try to do it. All right?"

"Sure." _Easier said than done_, Christy thought. She straight­ened her back and pushed her heels down. She then shortened the reins a little bit and made sure her seat bones were resting comfortably in the saddle.

"Good. Now, make him walk. And remember to relax," Lance instructed as he rode along beside her.

Christy urged him on, making sure that she stayed relaxed, which was the most important thing. She looked to Lance, who nodded. Christy then put Skeeter into a smooth trot.

"That is good. Sit to it at first, then start to post. Do you know what that is?"

"Yes. David showed me. He has taught me almost everything that I know."

"I see," Lance said thoughtfully as they trotted along. "Christy, are you and David . . . well . . . together?"

"No, at one time we were, but—I am in love with someone else. For a while, David was terribly hurt because of it, but we have repaired our friendship."

"Yes, you seemed at peace last night. But tell me, who are you in love with?"

"Doctor Neil MacNeill," she said, blushing. "He is the doctor in the Cove. It has been almost year since we met, and I just discovered my feelings for him."

Lance felt just a bit saddened at her confession of being in love. He had hoped that he would have been a prospect for her. But, in a sense, Lance was quite happy for her, for they had always been as close as siblings. "I am very happy for you. Does he feel the same for you?"

It was this comment that completely saddened Christy. "I really don't know. I thought he did, but I must have been mistaken."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you sad," Lance said guiltily.

"That's all right. As my mentor and friend, Alice Henderson, says, 'Thee came to Cutter Gap to teach, not to get a husband.' I guess she was right."

"Don't be so sure. Life surprises you quite often."

"That it does, Lance. How am I doing?"

"Great, ready to try a canter?"

"You bet. Let's go!" The two friends took off, laughing joy­ously. Christy sat deep in the saddle and rocked gently with the rhythm of the horse. As they came to a straight clearing in the park, she looked over at Lance and asked him before she lost her nerve, "Can we gallop?"

"Are you up to it?"

"There's only one way to find out!" Christy leaned forward as she had seen the men do and pushed the reins further up on Skeeter's neck. Skeeter's instinct to run took over and he shot out from under Christy. She laughed with delight and leaned into the horse's neck. By the time they had reached the end of the straight, their horses were tired from their run and slowed immediately.

"Wow, Christy! That was some ride. And you say that you needed pointers. You were great."

Christy blushed. "Thank you, Lance. I just wanted to make sure I was doing everything right. I guess I have learned a bit in Cutter Gap."

"I'd say so," Lance said as they dismounted.

"Thanks for taking the time with me. I really appreciate it. Well, shall we go and look for a horse?" Christy asked.

"Let's go." After their horses were put away, they climbed into Lance's father's motorcar and were off. The five-minute trip was un­eventful, and Christy spent the time looking out at the beautiful country­side. However, nothing could compare with the beauty of her moun­tains.

"Well, here we are, Christy. Edelweiss Farm. The finest horses around."

"Great," she replied, admiring the sweeping green pastures that were filled with baby foals.

The owner met them at the barns and introduced himself as Mike McKimby. "I'm pleased to have you here today. I hope you'll be able to find a horse. Tell me, what are you looking for?"

Christy looked at Lance, for she had no idea what she was talk­ing about.

"Well, Mr. McKimby, Christy would probably do best with a gentler horse. The horse would need to be surefooted and strong, for it will be going to the Smoky Mountains."

"Ah, I think I have just the horse for you. She's a five-year-old Arabian mare. Her name's 'Sheik's Bonita'," Mike said, leading them to her stall.

"That is a very interesting name," Christy said. "May I try her out?"

"Of course. Can you saddle her yourself? I need to go fix the arena gate real quick." Mike walked off towards the large circular arena, leaving Christy and Lance with the mare.

"She sure is a pretty thing," Christy mused as she saddled the horse up, admiring her beautiful dark gray color. "Is her dished, dainty face a characteristic of her, uh, breed?" Christy asked, not knowing if "breed" was the right horseman's jargon.

Lance laughed. "Yes, it is. The Arabian is a tough, surefooted horse from the Middle East. Most people believe they came from Saudi Arabia. Arabians are characterized by their dished faces, highly carried tails, and their loyalty, especially the mares. Once she makes friends with you, she will never desert you. I hope she'll be a good one for you, if you decide to get her."

"So do I." Mike, having finished with the gate, offered to take "Bonita" to the arena for Christy.

"Thank you, Mr. McKimby. I'd appreciate that." In the arena, Christy mounted up and began to ride Bonita around the ring. _If I buy you, I'll have to think of a different name_, Christy told the horse silently. Bonita seemed very calm, but she never seemed like an old plug. Her gaits were smooth and sure. Christy rode over to Lance and Mr. McKimby. "I like her a lot. How is she out in a field?"

"Why don't you find out? For me, she has been quite good. Here, I'll open the gate for you."

"Thank you, Mr. McKimby." Christy rode Bonita out of the gate and into the grassy clearing. Christy paid close attention to Bonita, for she was not in the mood to get thrown. "Well, girl, how about a trot?" Christy put Bonita into a trot, then a canter. Bonita seemed to be doing fine, so Christy let her out a bit more. What speed Bonita had! They flew across the field as one, never missing a step or a turn. Fi­nally, Christy slowed Bonita and brought her back to where Lance and Mr. McKimby were standing. "I like her very much! How much are you asking?"

"I would like $300 for her, $350 including the saddle."

"Oh," Christy replied thoughtfully. She had only withdrawn $320 out of the bank, but she wanted Bonita very much. "Yes," she said determinedly, "I'll take her. Could I get her with the saddle for $320?"

"No, I'm sorry, it's $350," Mr. McKimby said, standing firm.

"All right. Then I'll just take her without the saddle."

"That's fine," Mr. McKimby answered. "Do you have the money with you now?"

"Yes, I do." Christy pulled the bills out her jacket pocket and hesitantly handed them to Mr. McKimby. "Thank you so much. Do you happen to have any cheaper saddles on hand?"

"No, I'm afraid I do not. I'm sorry."

"That is all right. Do you think that you could keep her here until tomorrow? I will be leaving for El Pano on the train tomorrow morning."

"I would even be happy to bring her to the station tomorrow for you, free of charge."

"Thank you, Mr. McKimby. I'd appreciate that very much. Well, I shall see you tomorrow. Thank you once again."

Lance quickly walked over to Christy after she had handed over Bonita to Mr. McKimby and, grasping her arm, said, "Christy, why didn't you ask me? I would have gladly bought the saddle for you."

"Thank you, Lance, but I could not have done that. A saddle is a very expensive thing. I just couldn't do that."

"You could pay me back, you know."

"No, I will not be in debt to anyone."

Lance chuckled, "Is it just me, or have you grown more stub­born since you went to your Cutter Gap?"

"You could say that," Christy smiled.

"You really are a good rider, and Bonita is a wonderful horse. You got quite a deal there; that horse is probably worth more than $500," Lance said as they walked away from the arena.

As Christy climbed into the motorcar, she wondered how David had gotten along with her father that day. She grinned at the thought of her father putting David to work with loads of paperwork. Then she thought of Lance. He had been so generous to her and had helped her so much. How could she repay him?

"Lance, would you be willing to drop me off in the shopping area of Asheville? There are some things that I would like to do."

"Of course. Do you want me to go with you?"

Christy smiled at his brotherly protectiveness. "No, that is all right. I'll be fine."

Once in front of the stores, Christy said, "I don't know how I can thank you, Lance, for helping me while I was here. Would you care to join us for dinner tonight?"

"I'd be delighted. Well, I guess I will let you out here. I'll see you tonight."

Christy leaned over and planted a kiss on his cheek and said, "That sounds good. Don't be late now," she put on her treacherly voice and grinned.

"All right, Miss Huddleston."

"Good-bye." As Christy browsed through the stores, she found many things to take home to her friends: a novel for Fairlight, a bunch of hair ribbons for Ruby Mae, a new tie for David, a small wooden carved cross for Miss Alice, and a leather bible for Lance, which she would give to him that night.

After paying for everything with what she had left, Christy headed home, thinking that she needed to get cleaned up after a day of riding. Suddenly, she gasped, thinking of what a sight she must have been strolling the streets of Asheville in her riding skirt. Christy's gasp quickly turned to a smile when she realized how much less appearance mattered to her since she had been living in Cutter Gap.

Once at home, Christy picked out a deep green skirt and a white shirtwaist. She could hardly wait to give her gifts to David and Lance.

"Well, Christy how was your day today? Your appearance sure made the impression that you had a 'good ol' time'," her father teased as she came down the stairs.

"Yes, Daddy, I sure did. I even bought a horse by the name of Bonita. I am going to take her back to Cutter Gap with me. By the way, where is David?"

"You bought a horse! What about the money?"

"Don't worry, I had plenty. She cost $300, but was well worth the purchase. I sure hate to spend that much money, though. But Lance said she was worth much more. Where's David?"

"I sent David to purchase your train tickets. Christy, darling, $300 is a lot of money. I'm not so sure—"

"Daddy, trust me, I made sure everything was all right when I took the money out of my account. Please don't worry. A horse is es­sential in the mountains."

"That is true. It's just my Little Miss is growing up so fast. I'm glad you found a good horse."

"Yes. Oh, I asked Lance to come for dinner tonight. I would like to give him something in return for his taking time with me. I also have something for David."

"That is good. Lance is a good man. He will make a fine hus­band for a woman someday. Speaking of husbands—"

"Oh my, look at the time! I haven't even had lunch today. Would you like anything to eat, Daddy?" Christy asked hastily.

"Sure. Why don't you get a little snack to take out to the gar­den? I need a bit of walking. Will you join me?"

"Of course, you go on ahead, I'll get some food."

Once out in the garden, William motioned for Christy to join him at the pond. "Now Christy, darling, don't say a word until I have finished, all right?"

Knowing that she could not argue with a lawyer very well, Christy curiously agreed, "All right."

"Now, from my last visit to Cutter Gap, I've seen that two men have their eyes on you, and I know David has proposed. What are your feelings for them? I would like to know if I will be getting another son here soon."

Christy blushed deeply and said, "Yes, David proposed. I said no, because . . . because I love Dr. MacNeill!" There, she had said it.

"I suspected that, Christy. How does he feel about you?"

"I honestly don't know, Daddy. I left Cutter Gap to sort my feelings out, but now that I have, I don't know if I can go back and face the heartbreak if he does not care for me," she said, throwing a stone into the pond.

"Little Miss, a father does not miss much. I do believe Dr. MacNeill cares for you very much. I would be proud to call him my son."

"Thank you, Daddy. I will write you and Mother a letter as soon as I get back in Cutter Gap."

"I will miss you very much." They were both silent, enjoying the peacefulness of the pond and each other's company. William broke the silence by proposing an idea. "Would you like it if we spent Christmas with you and your friends in Cutter Gap?"

"Really? I would like that very much! Do you think Mother will agree?"

"Oh, she already has," Julia said, coming out to join the rest of her family.

"Mama, are you sure?"

"Yes, I am. I would very much like to celebrate Christmas with your 'other family'."

"Oh, Mother. You, Daddy, and George are my only true fam­ily. It would be the best Christmas ever!" Christy threw her arms around her mother's neck, nearly knocking her over.

"Now, Christy, what shall we fix for dinner?" Julia asked as she and her family strolled back into the house.

"Well, how about. . . ." Christy and her mother talked animat­edly while they prepared dinner that night. When it was almost ready, David finally walked in.

"David, wherever have you been? I thought you just went for some train tickets." Christy asked, puzzled.

"I was at the library. Come here, I have something I want to give you."

"Oh, David, you didn't have to do that. But I have something for you, also. I'll be right back." Christy excitedly went up to her room to retrieve the new tie she had bought for David. In the parlor, she said to him, "Now, David, if you do not like this, I will understand, but…"

"I'm sure I will like it. Don't worry. But here, open yours first," he said nervously. Christy took the package and began to open it. What she found was so beautiful that she nearly burst into tears.

"David, it is so beautiful. But, this is really too expensive. I cannot except it," she said, staring down into the beautiful aquamarine set of earrings and silver cross pen.

"Don't worry, Christy. I found it a very good price. Do you like it?"

"I love it. I've never seen anything so beautiful. Now here, open yours." When David opened his gift, his face immediately lit up with appreciation.

"Christy, how in the world did you know that I needed this? It is perfect." He once again admired the small bow-tie and gave Christy a hug.

"I just have always thought that you would look good in a tie. Besides, maybe some special girl will take notice of that," she said with a wink.

"It's perfect, thank you so much. May I escort you to dinner?"

"Of course," she replied with a smile. Just as they were sitting down to dinner a disheveled Lance finally arrived. "Where have you been?" Christy asked.

"Oh, nowhere special," he said with a sly grin.

"Lance, it's so nice that you are here. Please, do sit down. We are glad that you could come," Julia said with a smile.

"I'm sorry that I was late. I—I, ah, had something to take care of," he said sheepishly.

"And what did you have to take care of," Christy said with an equally sly grin.

He blushed and said nothing more. To his relief, David said, "Shall we say grace?" Everyone bowed their heads and William ex­pressed his thanks to the Lord.

"Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for this wonderful day and for the people that we may share our happiness with. We also thank you for Christy, and may she have a safe trip home, to Cutter Gap."

When at last dinner was finished, they all moved into the parlor to discuss the next day's plans. When everyone was seated, both Lance and Christy stood up,

"Lance—"

"Christy—" they both said at the same time and. Lance smiled and nodded. Christy started once again, "Lance, I am so grateful that you took your time to help me with Bonita. I thank you very much, and I have a little gift for you." She handed it to him and he carefully began to open it.

"Oh" he murmured, "it's beautiful. Thank you very much."

"You're quite welcome. I wish you the best of luck as you prepare to enter into ministry."

"I do, also," David said. "If you ever need a place to go, Cutter Gap is always looking for volunteers. We would be happy to have you, but make sure that when you are in seminary school you feel certain that ministry is your calling." David said this with only a hint of wistfulness. Christy reasoned that he must have been thinking about his own experi­ences at seminary school, and why he had become a minister.

"Now Christy, I have something for you. I know you did not want me to get you anything, but…"

"Lance, you didn't—" Christy said worriedly, for if Lance had went ahead and bought her a saddle, she knew she could not accept it, but she didn't want to hurt him. The package was not very big, but Christy had learned that all packages were deceiving of their gifts inside.

"Just open it, Christy. Here." Christy tentatively took the pack­age and began to unwrap it. She gasped at the beauty that was en­closed inside. She lifted the soft, dark brown bridle and turned it over in her hands. It was soft as silk and had lustrous brass studs across the brow band and down the cheek pieces .

"Lance, this is so beautiful. Wherever did you find such a thing?"

"I . . . I made it."

"You made this? It's remarkable!" Christy exclaimed.

"In my spare time, my hobby is leatherworking. I made it about a year ago, but I had no idea what to do with it. You seemed like a very deserving person of this. Do you like it?"

"Oh, Lance, this is one of the best presents that I have ever received. Thank you. I'm sure that Bonita will like this very much."

"It's the least I can do. You have been such a great friend to me over the years. I wish you the best of luck when you return to Cutter Gap."

_Return to Cutter Gap. That has a nice ring to it_, Christy thought with a beam. "Thank you, Lance. I hope you can come to Cutter Gap one day for a visit."

The rest of the evening was spent talking about times past and what lied ahead. When it was past ten o'clock, Lance reluctantly said good-bye and headed home. "I'll miss you, Christy. And don't worry about Dr. MacNeill, your heart will not go wrong."

Christy blushed. "Thank you, Lance. I hope I will be receiv­ing letters from you."

"So do I. Good-bye, Christy." He strode out the door, thinking how lucky he was to know such a remarkable young woman.

"Well, Mother, Father, David. I shall be turning in. I'll see you all bright and early tomorrow morning."

"Goodnight, Little Miss. Sleep well," William said. Julia and David only mumbled a goodnight, for they were almost asleep in their chairs.

As Christy brushed out her hair, she wondered how Miss Alice would welcome her. Would Miss Alice think of her as a coward for leaving, with intentions of never returning? Surely not. Christy then turned her thoughts to Neil. She wondered how he was doing, and if he missed her at all. Christy smiled and thought, _I am acting just like a lovesick schoolgirl._

Her dreams that night were not pleasant. She saw Neil en­twined in another's arms, and when she called to him, he merely moved farther and farther away. When she went distraughtly to Miss Alice to talk to her, Miss Alice angrily said that the mission could not use those who were cowards. Christy turned to her mountain friends, but they were as cold as they had been when she had first come to Cutter Gap. Christy turned her eyes to the mountains, but was met with a coldness that blinded her. . . .

Christy opened her eyes to a bright sun. It had blinded her in her dreams. _What a terrible dream_, she thought. It was early morning, and time for Christy to pack for her return to Cutter Gap. However, the dream made her hesitate before she got ready. Would it really be like that when she returned?


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

As Christy said good-bye to her parents the next morning, she wondered what she would have to tell them the next time they visited, at Christmas. For one moment. . . .

"Miss Christy Huddleston?" Christy spun around to see Mike McKimby holding Bonita. "Here's your horse. I know that you will give her a good home, but I will sure miss her."

"I am very glad that I bought her. It took almost all my money, but she was worth it," Christy said, admiring Mr. McKimby's meticu­lous grooming of the horse. He obviously cared a lot about Bonita.

"Yes, she is a valuable animal. But if it's money you're look­ing for, I would suggest that you breed her. She'd throw you a fine colt that you could sell and probably get a lot of money for."

"Ah—yes, that is quite a good idea. Thank you very much for getting her here. I really appreciate it. David arranged for her to have her own stall. It is just over there, if you would be so kind as to load her," Christy said, pointing to a boxcar that had been made into horse stalls.

"Certainly. Have a good trip, Miss."

"Thank you." Turning to David, she asked, "David, I hate to ask you, but could you take my bags and get us settled? I have some­thing that I need to attend to."

"Of course. Anything I can help you with?"

"No . . . I'll be back in a bit," she said with an urgent ex­pression on her face.

"Hurry back!"

Throwing a smile over her shoulder, Christy scurried off to the station. She had to make a phone call to determine a thought that had been bugging her ever since she had met Margaret on the train. "Excuse me, may I use the telephone here?"

"Yes, but it'll cost you a nickel," the handsome young atten­dant said with a smile. Christy flipped him a dime and headed to the tele­phone. "Hello? Is this the Asheville Courthouse? This is Christy Huddleston, the daughter of William Huddleston. Yes, his last case was indeed remarkable. I was wondering, was there a recent annulment filed between Margaret Henderson MacNeill and Neil MacNeill? Yes, I real­ize that is confidential information, but my father, ah, needs to know." Christy had hardly ever lied in her life, and she didn't know what had possessed her to do so at the moment, but she had to find out if Neil and Margaret had legally separated. "There was. Did it go through? Thank you very much. Good-bye now. Yes, I'll tell my father. Good-bye." Christy hung up, smiling at the fact that her father was admired so.

Then a wave of confusion swept over her. Neil had signed the annulment papers. But what did that mean? She heard the train whistle and quickly told the boy "thank you" and then headed to her train. Her mother and father were talking to David as he was getting on the train,

" . . . take good care of my Little Miss. I trust you will be a good chaperone for—"

"Daddy!" Christy exclaimed, beet red. Then she softened, "I love you. Take care of yourself, and I can't wait 'til Christmas."

"I love you too. Be careful, now."

"I will." Turning, she embraced her mother, "Mama, thank you for helping me see my true feelings. Please, watch over Daddy. I love you."

"I love you, too, Christy. I promise to be there for Christmas, with your father and George. Give Miss Alice my regards."

"Of course. Good-bye." With tears in her eyes, Christy al­lowed David to escort her up the train steps.

On the ride home, she and David talked endlessly about their dreams for the mission, and for themselves. Christy was eternally grate­ful for her repaired friendship with David.

Meanwhile, back at the mission. . . .

Dr. MacNeill rode quickly to the mission. He wondered if Christy was back, and how Keri was. He smiled, remembering the fiery young woman. That day, Neil planned to show her some of the more beautiful places of Cutter Gap. For the last couple of days, he had been introducing her to the people. The mountain people were, of course, wary of Keri, but that was to be expected. Though the two of them had become quite good friends, but Neil missed Christy.

He wondered where Christy was. Neil guessed that Christy had taken her retreat to her home in Asheville, but he hadn't expected her to be gone this long, not while school was still in session. The gos­sip around the Cove was that she had left for good, but that was just gossip.

As he approached, he saw that Keri was giving _her_ Charlie a bath in the unusually warm autumn afternoon sun. "Hello," he called out. Keri looked up with delight on her face.

"Dr. MacNeill! How are you? I had been meaning to ask you if you ever found out anything about the land in Low Gap. Did you?" she blurted out as she finished with Charlie's bath.

"Whoa, there," he said with a chuckle. "I found out that a man by the name of Stephen A. Branson owns the 150 acres of flatland in Low Gap. However, the man lives in Asheville, and I honestly doubt if he even knows that he owns the land."

"Oh," Keri said with a frown. _How am I ever going to get the land now?_ she wondered.

"Don't look so disappointed. If the man doesn't know he has the land, then you might be able to weasel a fair price out of him."

Keri's face lit up with the idea. Neil held up a hand in protest, for he knew that her thoughts were going to run into a million words. "Miss Loving, would you like to see some of the more beautiful spots of Cutter Gap? So far I have just introduced you to the families around here, but there are some very remarkable viewpoints, too."

"I would love to! Just let me pack us a picnic. I'll be right back. Would you mind saddling up Prince for me? And take Charlie to the barn?"

"Certainly." As soon as she was in the mission, Neil let our a laugh. She was like an older Ruby Mae.

In the mission, Keri found Ruby Mae. "Would you mind tell­ing Miss Alice that Dr. MacNeill took me for a tour of Cutter Gap? I know she was planning to leave today, but she told me that she was waiting to see if—" Keri stopped, for no one knew that Christy Huddleston had supposedly left for good. "—for the school week to let out."

"Certainly, Miss Loving. I see yer a takin' a passel 'a food. I have just the perfectest thing for a 'nic. Be right back!" and she sprinted off into the kitchen. Keri chuckled and began preparing the food. Once that was ready, and Ruby Mae had made her own contribution, she walked out the door to find Neil waiting with Prince and _his _Charlie.

"Just follow me, Miss Loving." She mounted up on the spir­ited stallion and rode up beside Dr. MacNeill.

"Just to warn you, Ruby Mae put 'the perfectest thing for a 'nic' in here."

Neil grinned. "Not to worry, I can detect possum from a mile away."

"Well, then, what is in this picnic basket, Doctor?"

"I see in there a wonderful picnic with a charming young woman," he teased, hoping to flatter her and make her blush. She did, and he was barely able to contain his mirth.

"Well, there are quite a few places with a breath­­taking view…."

As David and Christy made their way from El Pano on a rented horse, Christy took in every beautiful detail of the mountains, _her mountains_. Even though she had only been away for about a week, she had missed the incredible beauty that now surrounded her.

Since Christy didn't have a saddle for Bonita, she rode double with David and led Bonita behind. It was not much farther, but Christy wanted to kick David's horse into a gallop. However, he read her mind and said,

"Would you like to stop by the schoolhouse? Before we settle you back in the mission?"

"Oh, David, you read my mind! I would like that very much." In no time, Christy could see the mission house. She nearly cried out with joy.

"Miss Alice, Miss Alice!" Creed Allen shouted out. "Look, it's Teacher and Preacher. Thay're back! Please, can we go out an' meet um?"

Miss Alice snapped her head up with joy. "Yes, children. Christy! Child! Thee has returned!" Miss Alice rushed out to meet Christy and David just as fast as the children did.

"Miss Alice! I am so glad to see you!" Christy exclaimed as she jumped off of the horse. She was greeting the children when Creed Allen piped up,

"Is that yer horse, Miss Christy, the purty gray one?"

"Yes, it is, Creed. Her name is Sheik's Bonita. I call her Bonita, but can you think of another name I could call her?"

"Waal, Miss Christy. Lemme think. How 'bout Bonnie?"

Christy had been thinking of the same name herself, but she had wanted to give her children the pleasure of naming the mare. "Creed, that is absolutely perfect."

"Miss Christy, how you gonna ride her without a saddle?" Creed asked. Christy had not given much thought to this problem, but she knew that she would have to figure out something soon.

Creed quickly turned to Miss Alice and whispered in her ear. She asked him, "Are you sure? Did Billy Longfeather agree to this be­forehand?" Creed nodded solemnly and said,

"Yes'm. I made sure. Please, I'd really like to do this."

"All right, but hurry." And with that, Creed rushed off to the mission.

"Miss Alice, what was that all about?" Christy asked.

"Just wait and see, Miss Huddleston," Miss Alice said with a chuckle. A minute later, Creed returned, carrying the saddle that he and Billy Longfeather had won in the turkey shoot the previous Thanksgiving. "Miss Christy, you don't have a saddle for Bonnie here, and seein' that Billy Longfeather don't need the saddle that me an' him won, an' since I ain't got no horse, I want you to have this here saddle."

Christy gasped. Creed had worked so hard for this. "Creed, this is yours, I can't possibly take this."

"You gotta, Miss Christy. All it's gonna do is set and rot 'way iffin no one uses it. Please, I want you to have it," he said with pleading eyes.

"All right, Creed, but you let me pay you back now. How do some pies and white sugar and candy sound? The candy is clear from Asheville."

"Really, Miss Christy? That sounds mighty fine."

"Yes, Creed. How about I bring it to your house tomorrow?"

"It's a deal," and he stuck out his hand. "Why don't you put the saddle on Bonnie an' go fer a little ride? I'm sure yer wantin' to see everyone 'gin."

"That sounds like a fine idea." Christy took the saddle blanket David offered her and saddled "Bonnie" up. Then, she reached in her valise and pulled out the package that contained Lance's bridle. She carefully put it on and mounted Bonnie. "How do I look children?"

"Like a queen."

"You look might purty."

"Yer horse is sure purty."

"Ya look like a angel."

"Does she go fast?" The children's responses all ran together, and Christy smiled, glad to be back home.

"Thank you, children. Yes, she does go fast. Now you be good for Miss Alice, and tomorrow I will have a surprise for you." Christy rode away at the excited chatter of the children as Miss Alice led them back inside. She had not gotten far when David came riding up,

"Christy, would you like me to go with you?"

"Thank you, David, but I need to get my thoughts completely back in sync with the mountains, on my own."

"All right. Are you going to see Dr. MacNeill?" He said this with no contempt in his voice, and Christy was quite relieved.

"I—ah—I'm not sure. I really want to go to all my favorite places. I should not be too long, so don't worry."

"All right. Have a good time," David said as he turned his horse towards the mission.

"Oh!" Christy said. David stopped. She continued, "will you put my bag in my room for me?"

David nodded with a smile and continued towards the mission.

Meanwhile, Neil and Keri were sharing a picnic on a flat rock near the river.

"Well, Miss Loving, we are back near the mission now. You have seen almost every spot in the Cove that can make you forget about all the problems here."

_Those spots aren't the only things that make you forget problems, she thought_. "Almost? Are there more?"

Neil smiled. "You will have to find that out for yourself."

"Yes, and hopefully I will be able to. I am planning on going to Asheville to see Mr. Branson as soon as Charlie is healed."

"I wish you luck."

"I will probably need it. I haven't lived in a city for a long time, so I don't fit in; I won't know how to deal with him," she said. Without her own realization, a lone tear slid down her cheek.

"Keri, what's wrong?" Neil handed her a handkerchief.

"Oh . . . I was just . . . remembering." With that, more tears came. "I didn't just come here to raise horses. I grew up on a small ranch on the eastern plains of Colorado, not far from Kansas. My family raised Angus cattle on a river by the name of 'Arickaree.' I had always loved horses, and was given my own little pony when I was eight. Though not much taller than a cow, she was a ball of fire," Keri smiled a little.

Neil was puzzled where this conversation had come from, and why she was pouring her heart out to him. But he listened patiently.

"When I decided to retire her from her work, I wanted to breed her. I was 16 years old. I bred her to a tall strawberry roan stud. It was a stupid thing to do. She died in birth, but left me with a wonderful colt. The colt was just like his father, which surprised me, because I thought the foal would take after its mother. The colt is Charlie.

"I wanted him to be the best horse ever, so I left my home for Denver, which has one of the best horse facilities in the country. I met a wonderful young man there, who shared my passion for horses. We were to be married, when," Keri took a deep breath to control her shak­ing, "when he was at the racetrack one morning. He was racing, and his horse stumbled, and he was thrown onto the track. He was trampled. I left not much later. For a few yeas, I stayed at home, helping with the ranch. But, then, God called me elsewhere. I didn't know where, so Charlie and I started traveling. I guess this is where God wanted me."

Neil was looking into Keri's eyes, but his thoughts were else­where. He was thinking about how much she was like Christy, and how much he missed Christy. How could they both have such faith in God? The next thing he knew, Keri had thrown herself around his neck and was kissing him. He was so stunned that he didn't know what to do. Keri pulled away, for she was deeply embarrassed, and hurt, that Neil had not re­sponded to her. What had she just done?

Christy had been leading Bonnie to the woods near the river. How she had missed that river. Coming around a bend, she saw Charlie and Prince tethered to a tree. _I wonder what Prince is doing here? Did something happen that Miss Alice did not tell me about? Did someone have to borrow Prince?_ She tied Bonnie a few feet away from the oth­ers and walked along the path. She was just about to call out when she heard a voice. It sounded like it was crying.

As Christy peeked around a tree she could barely contain her scream at what she saw. Neil in another woman's arms! Just like the dream. Christy felt like she had been punched in the stomach, and she revolted back into a tree. As quickly and quietly as she could, Christy spun around and started to run back to where Bonnie was tethered.

"I . . . ah . . . I'm so sorry. I . . . just—"

Neil said softly to her, "It's all right. I didn't realize I was staring so intently at you. My thoughts were elsewhere. I'm sorry." He paused. "I know what it's like to lose someone you love. Did Alice tell you about my wife?"

Keri nodded silently.

"When she left me, I thought she had drowned in the river. I mourned her for years. I had never known such a loss. It gets better, and love can, and will, enter your life again." Under his breath, he said to himself, "It already has for me." Keri had not meant to hear his last words. Who in the world could he be talking about? Especially around here?

Neil was shocked at himself. Where had those words come from? From beneath what he thought to be his toughened heart?

They were both startled when a woman's scream pierced the air. It was Christy's. While running away from the horrible scene, she had tripped in a hole. Only Neil knew that it was her voice. "Christy!" He wondered what she had seen.

Christy heard his call and struggled to get up. Barely getting to her feet, she ran over to where Bonnie was tethered. Christy mounted her and pounded off to . . . she didn't know and she didn't care.

"Christy, wait!" Neil called. He finally reached his horse and jumped up into the saddle. Keri was not far behind, and not knowing what to do, simply mounted Prince and rode back to the mission.

Neil could just see Christy quickly disappearing over a rise on a gray horse. _Where did she get that horse?_ he wondered.

Christy knew that Neil would follow her, but she pressed Bonnie on anyway. She decided she would head to her and Fairlight's lookout. Christy was glad for Bonnie's speed and surefootedness. On any other horse, they both would have gone down.

Neil knew that it would do no good trying to talk to her now, so he slowed Charlie up and headed to the mission to talk to Keri.

When he got there, he found her on the porch, pacing back and forth. Neil dismounted and stopped her pacing by standing in her way. She smiled up at him and said,

"I just feel so awful. Christy Huddleston has never even met me and she already hates me. I know she saw us. I am so sorry, I just don't know what came over me."

"It's all right, Keri. Do not beat yourself down. Just let it go. I need to tend to something, but just let it go. Let it go." Neil mounted Charlie and headed off to find Christy. He figured that by now, she would have stopped her mad dash and would be lying somewhere look­ing up at the clouds and thinking.

Christy was lying on her back at the lookout gazing up at the sky. She tried to focus her thoughts on pleasant things and how beautiful the clouds were, but every cloud looked like Neil and another woman. The setting sun made the clouds red, like the woman's hair. Christy had not given much thought as to who the woman was, but now the name Keri Loving came to mind. Could the Keri Loving staying at the mission be the one that was in Neil's arms? Christy sighed and sat up. She felt defeated, hurt beyond belief, and that life was not worth living. No! She could not think like that.

What angered her most was that she _and_ Margaret had been gone for no more than a week and Neil was practically engaged with another woman! But what did she have to do with Neil's decisions as to whom he saw? Not a thing. Christy wanted nothing more than to go back to Asheville, to the safety of her home. But she remembered her prayer to God; that she had to come back to Cutter Gap to make things right. With a deep breath, she stood up and began to descend from the small cliff that had become her special place.

Christy was shocked to see that Bonnie was not where she had been tied. _Where in the world could she have gone?_ Christy received her answer once she was at the base of the cliff and turned to her left at the sound of footsteps. . . .


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"Christy, please, I need to talk to you." It was Neil. Christy couldn't face him, and wanted nothing more than to run away from him, but he had her horse. Christy turned so that she was squarely facing him and said as calmly and firmly as she could,

"Doctor MacNeill, please give me my horse."

"And just where did you get this fine horse?"

"I bought her in Asheville," she said reaching for the reins.

Neil pulled them further from her, momentarily laughing to himself at the look of disgust on her face. He then turned serious at the situation before him. "Is that where you've been. I expect that you have come back only to gather your things."

"No, not at all. I came back because . . . because these people need me, and I them. . . ." she said, her voice trailing off. Under her breath, she muttered, "However, it looks as if I've been long since for­gotten." Neil heard this, and half his heart leapt while the other half fell. Would she leave again?

"Christy, I had just taken Miss Loving on a picnic and she kissed me. I was stunned. Why are you so concerned about this? Why did you run away?" he blurted out.

So it _had_ been Keri Loving she had seen him with. "Neil, please, what you do is your own business. I do not wish to know."

Neil plunged on, ripping the tender subject open, "Why? Why did you run away? Why?" he almost shouted, grabbing her shoulders. He had to know. Christy looked away,

"I was just startled to see you in another woman's arms only a week after Margaret had left. I hadn't expected it, that's all."

"I was over Margaret many years ago. This Cove knows that," he said softly. Then he realized what he had said. He had been refer­ring to Christy, not Keri.

"So you—" she stopped what she was saying and lunged for her horse's reins. She had been going to say, "So you admit it."

Christy couldn't talk to him at all. She knew that if she even looked at him, he would see straight into her heart and know everything.

"No, Christy, don't. Tell me why. I'm am just as stubborn as you; I won't leave without an answer. Why. Why did you leave that day when Margaret and I were by the river?"

"I was . . . startled. I had not known Margaret was back. Please, I need to get back to the mission." Neil wasn't satisfied, but then again, he never was.

"Doctor MacNeill, give me my horse," she said with fire in her eyes. With equal fire in his eyes, he said softly, "I considered you my friend, Christy, but why do you resort to lying?" Then he mounted Charlie and left.

"I could say the same of you, Neil MacNeill!" she shouted after him with all the strength and ire she could muster. He merely looked back and smiled. "Neil!" she yelled once more. Oh, how he could make her angry! Her mother must have been wrong. She did not love that man, not at all!

Christy mounted Bonnie and with a sharp kick, headed back to the mission. She knew Keri would be there, so she put Bonnie in the barn, next to a gorgeous red horse that Christy had not seen before.

Though Christy was quite hungry, she could not go to the mis­sion house for dinner and face everyone. Instead, she stayed with Bonnie. When Christy was sure everyone was asleep, she snuck into parlor and made her bed beside the fire. Christy knew she would have a lot of explaining to do the next morning, but she was too tired, and sad, to care.

The next morning, Keri was in Christy's room, gathering her things, for she knew that Christy would want her room back.

"Miss Loving, isn't it?" Christy asked with forced politeness as she entered her room. Christy had gone upstairs to retrieve the hair ribbons from her bag that she had bought for Ruby Mae in Asheville.

When Christy saw Keri gathering her things she tried to say with conviction, "Please, I want you to stay. I don't mind staying in one of the guest rooms."

"Miss Huddleston? How . . . uh . . . nice to meet you," Keri said nervously.

"Yes, you too. Breakfast will be ready in a bit," Christy turned around and was ready to leave when Keri said,

"Please, don't go. I need to apologize to you. Let me start at the beginning, please?"

"All right, I'm listening," Christy said as she turned back around.

"Well, I have been traveling through these parts for months. I was looking for a place to buy so I could raise horses here. My horse, Charlie, lost a shoe, and I came upon Dr. MacNeill's place. He put Charlie's shoe back on, but Charlie was lame, so he took me to the mission. For the past few days, he has been taking me on tours of Cutter Gap.

"Yesterday, Dr. MacNeill offered to show me some of the more beautiful spots; the beauty amidst this troubled place." Together, Keri and Christy smiled, for they had both found the beauty and splendor of the Cove. "I guess I became infatuated with him. I don't know what came over me. The soft gaze of his eyes, his compassionate tone, it was just too much. I . . . I'm sorry," Keri said with misty eyes.

Christy smiled, remembering. She sat down next to Keri on the bed. "I know what it's like to feel like that for someone. David Grantland. Whenever he was near me, his gaze, his kisses, I could not think at all. He proposed to me. At the time, I knew I was not ready, so I waited. I thought what was between us might have been love, and I did indeed almost marry him. In time, it may have become love, but now I know that if it were meant to be, I would not have hesi­tated."

"Why did you?"

"I was confused. About life, about love, about many things."

Sensing Christy was deeply troubled about this, Keri changed the subject by saying, "I really hope that we can be friends. I am going to Asheville to talk to a Mr. Stephen A. Branson about selling some land he owns in Low Gap, as soon as Charlie is healed. Maybe I can stay here, for good. I love this place. I have never felt so at ease," she said with a sigh.

"Miss Loving, I am sorry for being so spiteful to you, I should have been more understanding. The heart is . . . an erratical thing."

"Yes, it is. Please, call me Keri."

"All right, Keri, and you can call me Christy."

"By the way, Christy, you own a very fine horse," Keri smiled.

"Thank you." They shook hands and went down to breakfast. Once down there, Christy approached Ruby Mae. "Ruby Mae, I have something for you. . . ."

Neil MacNeill, after eating a cold breakfast, paced about the house. What should he do? Christy would never talk to him again. How he had valued their friendship. He had been able to tell her things that had been locked away in his spirit for a long time. "_Arrrggg_!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. Neil was on the verge of going crazy and turning to moonshine; he knew it. A walk always calmed him, so he rushed out of the cabin.

He followed the path that led up to the peaceful heights. He was lost in thought as he walked. Did Christy care for him? Would she leave? What about the Reverend Grantland? Neil smiled. Since when did he let any woman see into his soul like Christy had?

Neil was so busy with his thoughts he did not see the crevice that he was approaching. It was much like the one Little Burl had fallen into months ago. In fact, it may have been the same one. But, before Neil could back away from the large crack, he found himself slipping and sliding down the sides of the wall. "Help!" he cried in distress. Neil had grabbed onto what seemed to be the only graspable thing on the crevice walls. It was a very thin tree root, which looked like it might not hold much longer.

Neil looked slowly around and felt for a foothold. Nothing. What was he going to do? He evaluated everything around him, to see if there was just one thing he might be able to use to pull himself up. There was nothing. Neil looked down at the leafy floor hundreds of feet below him. He might be able to land on his feet if he let go, but all was wet and slick from the morning dew, including the walls, and the tree root. He was slipping.

There seemed to be nothing he could do except let go, but then a voice, plain as day, rang out in his head. "God loves you, Neil, so very much." It was his mother's voice. His dear mother. He remembered her reading to him every night from her worn bible before he went to bed. "Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the Lord our God. Trust in God, Neil. He is always there for you."

Then he heard Christy's fiery voice, "With God all things are possible, Neil MacNeill! Everything!" Was all really possible with God? Neil certainly believed it was his skill, not God's power, that helped him perform operations. Yet not his skill, or anyone else's, would get him off this wretched cliff.

His hands were slipping quickly. Neil shouted, "Please, God! Help me! Help this stubborn fool! Please. I cannot get myself out of this situation without someone else's help, _your_ help. Please, help me." Neil felt a warm glow start at his toes, and the next thing he knew, he was out of the crevice, and about four feet away from the edge! He got up, slowly so that he wouldn't fall over from the shock, and walked as close to the edge of the crevice as he dared. He looked down, examin­ing every crack, every indention in the walls. There was absolutely no way that he could have crawled up the walls!

For the next hour, Neil examined every spot around the crevice, from above and below. His scientific mind could not grasp the fact that there was no logical explanation as to how he had been saved. He re­membered the stories from the bible about Jesus' miracles. Neil did not believe in miracles, only things that had explanations. He had to talk to someone. But the one person who could help him with the questions swirling around in his head was no longer speaking to him.

After breakfast, Christy went up to her room to unpack her valise. Keri wasn't there; she was already at the school. Christy had been amazed at how much she knew about higher science, Earth Science, and was grateful for the schooling that she could to provide the older students, especially Zady Spencer.

During breakfast, Keri and Christy had shakily retained a conver­sation. Everyone could feel the tension, and tried their best to break it.

Miss Alice seemed very joyful, as did David. David seemed glad to be home, and not teaching the children. He had said to her once, "They know I'm not as good as you Christy, and they take advantage of that." However, Christy hadn't had the chance to talk to Miss Alice yet, for she had left for her cabin as soon as breakfast was finished.

Christy smiled and pulled out all of her clothes and then the sack that contained the remaining gifts she had bought in Asheville. Suddenly, Christy realized that she hadn't gotten Neil anything. What did it matter, the way she had treated him, she wouldn't be surprised if he never talked to her again.

At the bottom of her satchel, Christy found two thick books. One was titled, "Beethoven's Simplest and Greatest." The other was "Pieces are Fun: Piano Technique and Teaching Guide." A pink piece of paper fell out from one of them. It read:

Dearest Daughter Christy,

I know that deep in you somewhere, you have a musi­cal talent. I remember when you took piano lessons how much you enjoyed them. I don't know why you stopped, but I hope you will enjoy these.

Your mother

"Oh, Mother!" Christy exclaimed, laughing. She was quite glad that her mother had gotten the books. Christy gathered all of her gifts and descended the stairs. She was met by Fairlight, who was cleaning up.

"Fairlight, whatever are you doing here? I didn't see you here at breakfast."

"I done just got here. Since Miss Alice is goin' to see her daughter, she said you'd be needin' some help around here, so I came."

"What does Jeb think of this, Fairlight?"

"Jeb ain't none too happy, but I aim to work here for ya, and I'm gonna do it," she said with determination.

"Thank you so much, Fairlight. Do you know where Miss Alice is?"

"She's at her cabin, gettin' ready to leave."

"All right, I had best talk to her. I haven't been able to talk to her since I got back."

"Aye, I'm glad your back, Christy. I shorely did miss ye."

"I missed you, too, Fairlight. Oh! I saw something in Ashe­ville I thought you would enjoy." Christy pulled out the novel, ti­tled "A Mountain of Joys, a Mountain of Mist."

"Oh, Christy, I canna accept this," Fairlight said, in awe of the book.

"Please, Fairlight. If you would like, this could be your weeks pay, instead of the money and food you usually get."

"Really? I'll certainly enjoy this. Thank ye, from the bottom of my heart."

"You're welcome, Fairlight." Christy left Fairlight thumbing through the pages of the new novel and headed to Miss Alice's cabin. Christy hadn't even knocked when Miss Alice opened the door and said,

"Christy! Please, come in." Christy entered Miss Alice's lovely cabin and sat down. "I am so glad thou art back, Christy. As you probably know, I will be going to Margaret in Knoxville. I was to have left yesterday, but considering the circumstances, I am going to leave today." Christy smiled slightly.

"Yes, I know. David told me, and Margaret and I met on the train. She told me that she was going to ask you to accompany her. She also told me about her and Neil."

"Christy, I am forever grateful for what thee did for Margaret. I'm so, so overjoyed that you convinced me to give Margaret one more chance."

"I'm glad I could help. Before I left, I went to see her. I told her that I was sorry and that I forgave her for the hurt she caused. Then I left."

"I thank you, Christy," Miss Alice said with tears in her eyes. After a long pause, Christy said,

"I'm sorry I did not come to dinner last night, but I couldn't."

"Why did thee not, Christy? We missed you, and were about to go looking for thee, but David said we should not worry. Is that correct?" Miss Alice asked as she packed.

"Yes, Miss Alice. I'm sorry if I worried you. I stayed in the barn until everyone was asleep, then snuck into the parlor and slept by the fire," Christy said guiltily.

"Oh, child. I was not mad at thee. Why did thee stay in the barn? Is everything all right?"

"I just couldn't face everyone. I needed some time to myself. Has Keri . . . said anything about yesterday?"

"No," she paused, "Christy, there is something wrong. Please, tell me."

"Oh, Miss Alice, when I rode off from the school yesterday, I stopped by the river. I heard voices, and I saw Doctor MacNeill's horse tethered to a tree. Since there was more than one voice, and since Prince was there also, I thought something might be wrong, so I walked on."Nothing could have prepared me for what I saw Miss Alice," Christy said, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I saw Keri and Doctor MacNeill kissing. I felt like I had been kicked. I ran away, but Neil found me, and we had a fight. I have never felt so awful in my life, Miss Alice. I went home to clear my mind, and I did. I intended to stay. God told me that I needed to come back here and straighten things out, but now everything is worse."

"Christy, has thee talked to Keri? I assure you that she feels awful also. She would not eat anything, and retreated to her room im­mediately after supper."

"Yes, I have talked to her. She told me everything. She feels bad, I can tell, but what about Neil? I don't see why he would want to talk to me again."

"Christy, he will listen. I know he will," Alice said with a meaningful smile. "The two of thee share a great friendship, maybe more."

"Thank you, Miss Alice. Please give Margaret my regards."

"I will indeed." Miss Alice had finished packing, and she started towards her horse.

"Miss Alice? How long will you be gone?'

"I don't know, Christy. I need to be with Margaret, until she fully recovers, or until. . . ." Miss Alice looked down. "It may be awhile, Christy, but David and Miss Loving will be here. Everything will be all right."

"I know, but. . . ." Christy knew and respected that fact that Miss Alice had to be with her daughter, but Christy had always relied on Miss Alice to help her through times of confusion, and sadness. This was one of those times.

"But what child?"

"I will miss you. To talk to, to confide in."

"Miss Huddleston, thee will never be short of someone to talk to. God is always there. He understands. Always."

"I know, but—"

"Thee means human companionship. You have many good friends here." Miss Alice finished readying her horse and was leading the mare towards the path.

"Yes, but—" Christy said, following.

"Christy, listen with thine heart. You are in my prayers. Good­-bye."

Christy sighed. Sometimes Miss Alice left her with the strang­est words, even angering words. What did they mean? "Good-bye, Miss Alice." Miss Alice looked back, waved, and cantered off.

Bird's-Eye quickly made his way to Dan Scott's cabin. Over the few days since Dan had offered his forgiveness, Bird's-Eye had been thinking about the colored man. Though Bird's-Eye would never let anyone know it, he was grateful for the rabbit that Dan had given him. Despite the fact that Bird's-Eye still regarded Dan as a no-good black outsider, he knew a mountain man always paid his debts. So, Bird's-Eye was going to help Dan out.

"Mr. Scott?" he called out in a burly voice. Dan, who was sawing away at a tree, looked up with a start.

"Yes, Mr. Taylor?"

"Waal, since you brung me that rabbit, even if hit was off my own property, I thought I'd repay ya," Bird's-Eye said abruptly. Dan was shocked.

"Well . . . Mr. Taylor, if you'd like, you could help me cut the logs up." Without a protest, Bird's-Eye walked over to where Dan was standing with a two-person saw and started to help him. They worked as a team, and for once, Bird's-Eye didn't think of Dan as anything but an ordinary man.


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Doctor MacNeill sprinted back to his cabin, stopping three times to steady his convulsive body. He had to talk to someone about what he had just experienced.

Once on Charlie, Neil galloped to the mission. If he could not talk to Christy, he could go to Alice Henderson. Though their relation­ship was strained, Neil knew he could trust Alice to help him see some answers to such great questions as the ones he had on his mind. As Neil rode up, he saw Christy standing in the middle of the trail, just staring at the mission, or beyond it.

"Christy, whatever are you doing out here?" Christy spun around,

"Doctor MacNeill, I . . . what are _you_ doing here?"

"Is Alice here?"

"Noo," Christy said slowly, "she left for Knoxville, to meet Margaret."

"I see. Did she say when she was going to be back?"

"No," Christy said, puzzled. Why would Neil want to see Miss Alice?

"Is David here?" This surprised Christy even more, for she knew Neil wanted nothing, on a personal note, to do with David.

"He's not here either; he went to visit Hattie. Is something wrong?" Putting aside her own doubts, Christy kindly asked, "Can I help you with anything?"

Doctor MacNeill was surprised at this question, and his face showed it. Christy was amused, so he quickly recovered and replied, "Nothing's wrong. But maybe you _can_ help me. Care to take a walk?"

What had Christy gotten herself into? Would he have nasty remarks waiting for her? She looked at Neil. No, he looked sincere, and very distraught.

"Of course. Where would you like to go?"

Neil pondered this. Was it the right time? Yes, he decided, it was. "Nowhere special," he said casually. "Let's just walk."

"All right." They started off in the direction of the school­house. As they walked by, Christy could see the students swarming around Keri,

"Miss Loving? Now what about this here ocean stuff?"

"Could ya holp me with them thar rocks?"

"I'd be obleeged if ya'd holp me with my volcano, Miss Loving."

Christy smiled. It looked like Keri was having fun. In a few hours, Christy would be back to teaching her children once more. She watched Neil's face as he waved at Keri. Christy admitted it, she was jealous. Neil smiled at Keri, as if nothing had happened the day before. The rest of his face was expressionless, but when he turned towards Christy, his eyes burned. Christy looked away. After a few minutes passed and they were nearing the river, Christy broke the silence by saying,

"Neil, I am sorry for yesterday. I hope you can forgive me." There, she had said it. Would he accept her apology?

"I'm sorry, too, Christy. I did not mean what I said about you. I still consider you my friend. But, please, tell me. Why did you run away?"

Not wanting to answer, she changed the subject, "Why did _you_ come here today? Is there something on your mind?"

Neil took a deep breath and began, "Yes, there is, but you did not answer _my_ question."

"I . . . tell me your thoughts first."

He smiled. "All right. Today, I—" Neil didn't want to tell her the reason of his mad dash out of his cabin, so he said, "I took a walk today. I was deep in thought, and accidentally slipped down a crevice," he shuddered with the memory. "I was caught, no way up, no way down. I looked for every possible way out, Christy, and I was just about to let go when I heard a voice."

Christy let out a long breath and half-smiled, wondering, and hoping, at what he would say next. They had stopped by the river, where one shaft of sunlight, as if positioned by God for just the two of them, was shining through the trees.

"It was my mother, telling me about God," he continued. "Then I heard you, Christy. I heard you telling me in your stubborn way about God." He stopped. This was not easy for Neil to say, the obsti­nate Scot who was always right.

"Go on," Christy said gently, placing her hand softly upon his face.

"I shouted out to God to help me. And something happened! It was remarkable. The next thing I knew I was about four feet away from the edge of the crevice. I was safe. For an hour, I examined everything. I could not find a logical explanation. Nothing. Was it really a miracle of God, Christy?" Neil's voice was pleading, his eyes painful and searching.

Now Christy knew why Neil had been looking for Miss Alice and David.

"Neil, I—" she said softly, turning around.

Neil gently took her chin in his hand and turned her face. "I do not doubt your knowledge of God, Christy. True, you are no Alice Henderson, but tell me, how would _you_ answer this question?"

"Are you sure you want me to attempt this? I will probably just end up quoting Miss Alice," she said with a touch of annoyance.

For just a moment, Neil's eyes were dancing. "Just speak your mind, like you did at the schoolhouse," he encouraged.

"Well, I do believe in God's prompting of the mind. I do be­lieve that it was Him telling me to come to Cutter Gap. Yes, I confess, when I read my Bible, I wonder about His miracles. I am not as deep-faithed as you think, Neil. I, too, like logical explanations about things. But as I have been here in Cutter Gap, I have come to believe more and more in His miracles. Some of the things that have happened here are beyond my mind. Like Creed Allen during the scarlet fever epidemic. He was gone, but I believe God brought him back. You know as well as I how far gone he was." Christy stopped, watching Neil's reac­tion to her words. He looked intrigued, and for once, didn't pose an argument when given the chance. She continued,

"I mean, this land and the mountains are living miracles. Beautiful miracles. These mountains, how could God have created them without some superb power? And if God can create mountains, then He should most certainly be able to perform small miracles such as your rescue. So, yes, I do think that it was a miracle of God." Christy finished, and realized that she had hardly taken a breath. She felt charged, refreshed. Christy waited for Neil to speak. He contemplated this for a long while, and finally said,

"Yes, Christy, you prove a good point. I do believe in a su­preme being. A God. And if that God created the mountains, It must be able to perform miracles. But why would your God want to save me?"

"Because He loves you, Neil! More than you will ever know. He loved you so much that he sent his _only_ son to _die_, to **_die_** a horrible death, so that we might be saved and have eternal happiness, if we be­lieve and accept. Imagine it, loving someone so much that you would give up your beloved wife, or your only child, who is so precious to you, to save the person you loved. Imagine God's love being a million more times than that.

"Look around at all the beauty. Why would it all be here if God didn't love us so much that he wanted to create a world of beauty for us to live in?"

_I would do absolutely anything for Christy. I have never loved anyone more deeply. Is God's love for me even more powerful than that? _He wondered.

"If God didn't love you so much, Neil, he wouldn't save you," Christy started to walk, leaving that thought for Neil to ponder.

_Could this be true? It sounds too good_, Neil thought. Neil couldn't take it all in at that moment, but what Christy said had started him thinking about God again. He once again remembered his mother reading from her bible. It was time to open it up again. Neil came up behind Christy and took her arm.

"This way," he said as he led her down the river in a different direction. He was silent for a long time as they walked. Then he stopped. "Thank you, Christy. We should head back, but I want to show you something. It will take a while to get there, but you will love it."

Christy was puzzled. Wherever could he be taking her? This was unfamiliar territory to her. They walked for a long time, Neil still guiding her, until they could hear a waterfall.

"Have you ever been here?" Neil asked.

"No, I haven't. Where are we going?"

"Just wait and see." Where had Christy heard those exact words before? Then, she saw it: the waterfall. It was beautiful. The sun's rays reflecting on the water made it sparkle like liquid diamonds. Though it was autumn, there was green grass all over. As they entered the asylum, a great mist enveloped them.

"Neil," Christy breathed, "it's absolutely beautiful. But just exactly where are we? I got lost quite a while back."

Neil smiled, "You'll never know." They neared the waterfall. A sparkling pool surrounded it, and Neil led Christy to a line of stones in the pond. "Here, take my arm," he said, and together they walked across the stones to the backside of the waterfall. Once there, Christy stood staring through the waterfall. The light reflecting through the water and the mist sent an array of colored illumination to the walls be­hind. Christy did not know how long she stood there, and jumped when Neil touched her arm.

"There is something even more beautiful I must show you," and he turned her around so that she was facing a narrow cave. As they stepped inside, Christy could not believe her eyes. The walls were lined with quartz and pyrite. Christy now knew why everything had seemed so familiar. She was reliving her fantasy dream. Neil led her further down, towards a blue light.

They entered a large room, where light was streaming through the ceiling high above down to a small pool of water in the floor. Christy looked around; the room was covered in blue crystal. Just like her dream. Sap­phire was rare, but Miss Alice said it could be found in these mountains.

Once again, Christy was oblivious to the man stand­ing beside her. "Looks just like your eyes, Christy. Star blue quartz." Christy turned to him, her eyes wide. "Christy, what is it? You look like you've seen a ghost," Neil said

"I have," she said weakly. Finally, she could take the de ja vu no longer and sank to the floor.

"Christy! Lass, are you all right? What is it?"

_Lass_, had it been a slip? "This is a dream, isn't it?"

"Christy you're not making sense," he said, sinking to the floor beside her.

"No, I have had almost this exact same dream before," she said with a secluded look in her eyes.

Neil was amused; he wondered what Christy's exact dream had been. "You said almost. What exactly _was_ your dream?"

Christy blushed. She could not tell Neil of her real dream. "Just . . . well . . . not much different than this." She got up and walked away from him, towards the light in the center of the room. Christy studied the identical holes in the ceiling and floor. She whirled around to ask Neil how he had found this place, and ended up smacking him with her arms. "I . . . I'm sorry."

He took her hands in his. "'Tis all right. I have told you my story. It's your turn. Please, Christy. I am your friend. Tell me why you ran away. Please."

"Neil, I. . . ." how could she tell him how she really felt?

Neil waited patiently. Together they stood, battling their emotions, beneath the blue light. Christy took a deep breath. "The day I rode to your cabin and I saw you and Margaret, I had come to tell you how much I valued our friendship, that I could tell you anything, and that I trusted and respected you more than anyone I knew."

Neil was stunned, and confused. "What about Grantland? A fiancée should be your soulmate," he blurted out, surprised with his own comment.

Christy laughed. "David and I share nothing more than sibling-like friendship." Of course, this stunned Neil more than ever. "Don't look so shocked," Christy said coyly. "You know," she said softly, "it was you who showed me I could not marry David. You knew first-hand what happened when two people who didn't love or respect each other got married. And you made sure I knew it, Neil MacNeill! I realized I could not marry David. I could have made the biggest mistake of my life."

Neil was flummoxed; he didn't know what to say. Tenderly, he touched her face. "Aye, my marriage with Margaret was dreadful. I will always regret it, not only because I chose wrong, but because I was never free from our vows." Christy was held by his eyes, and the world seemed to stop as she stood there. Neil squeezed her hand and was about to say something else when Christy interrupted by saying,

"Now it's my time to question you again: Why did you come to the schoolhouse that day? Leaving Margaret?"

Neil sighed and softly said, "Christy, I came because I care very much for you. Margaret told me that you were going to 'marry the preacher,' and I couldn't let you do that. I knew deep in my heart he wasn't right for you. He didn't respect you as you should be respected."

The tender moment was interrupted when Christy suddenly re­alized that she was alone with the man she loved, in a secluded cave, and unchaperoned. Glancing at the watch fob on her waist she said, "Oh my! I should be getting back to the school. I'm sure Keri would enjoy some time to herself, or," she said with as much fake anger as she could put in her voice without smiling, "some time with someone else."

Neil sighed, "Christy, there is nothing between us, we only mis—" Christy laughed and started to run out of the cave. However, Neil caught her arm and gently pulled her to him. He started at her so intently that Christy lost her breath. Would he kiss her? With a small smile, Neil brushed a stray hair from her face and let go of her arm. The sudden coldness of her arm where Neil's hand had been shocked Christy's lungs into functioning again. Tenderly, she smiled at Neil and started out of the cave.

Back at his cabin, after saying good-bye to Christy, Neil de­cided to go fishing. The previous week he'd hardly had any time to fish at all, so he gathered his gear and was just about to head down to the river when Ben Pentland called out,

"U-nited States Maaaill!"

"Why, hello, Ben. What brings you out here today? Saturday's not 'til tomorrow."

"Waal, Doc, I have a letter here for ye. Come clear from Scotland. Thought ye might want it as soon as hit'd come in. Magine that, a little old letter all t'way from Scotland. I wonder what's in that letter. . . ." he trailed off with a roguish look on his face as he handed Neil the letter.

Neil chuckled, "I wonder that myself Ben, but don't you have other letters?"

"Yep, shore do. Seven whole letters this week! I'll be seein ya, Doc," and Ben Pentland rode off on his mule whistling a racy mountain tune, something he had no doubt picked up from the teahouse.

"Ben!" Neil called after the mailman with a grin, "Will you be back here tomorrow? I might have a letter for you." Neil had a feeling that this letter would require a reply.

"Yep, I'm a stayin' at the Holcombe's tanight," he said, stop­ping his mule.

"All right, just stop by then."

"Bye, Doc," and Ben was off again.

Neil decided to take the letter down to the river with him. If it was from Scotland, it must be quite important. He sat down close to the foamy water and opened the letter. He read the good news:

September 5, 1913

Dear Mr. Neil MacNeill:

As of May 2, 1913, the Scotland National Revenue Exchange shut down and all trading was stopped. We are sorry to inform you that your stocks will not be able to gain in value anymore. The value of your stocks as of May 2, 1913 will be sent to you in United States currency as soon as you reply to this letter. Their value is estimated to be around $7,000. We're sorry for any inconvenience or trouble.

Sincerely,

Emil Frederiksborg

President

Neil was dumfounded. Seven thousand dollars! Yes, he re­membered investing in the Stock Market in Scotland, but after he left, he had never thought about it again. And Neil certainly never thought he would get this kind of money back! What would he do with it all? For starters, he could of course buy more supplies, new equipment, maybe fix up his cabin. . . .

He had been right, this letter _would _require a reply! As Neil tucked the letter in his pocket, ideas of what to do with the money began ramparting through his head. . . .


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Back at the mission, in her room, Christy gathered a newspaper and the poem book she had purchased in El Pano and headed to the schoolhouse to relieve Keri of her duties.

"Oh, Christy, I'm so glad you are here," Keri said, coming out of the schoolhouse.

"Why Keri, is everything all right?" Christy asked worriedly.

"Yes, but they are just so hyper! It's a good thing David teaches part of the day, or else I don't think I could do it," she said with an exasperated look on her face.

"Has Creed Allen been pestering you?" Christy asked, barely able to contain her amusement.

"Why, yes, but how did you know?" Keri said with surprise.

"I remember my first week or so of teaching here, they were terrors," Christy smiled.

With a more serious look on her face, Keri asked, "Christy, I want to say again that I am terribly sorry for what I did. I still feel awful."

"Keri, I forgive you. As someone once told me, 'If you flog yourself over it, you're no good to anyone.' "

"Thank you Christy. Is there anything that I can do for you?" Keri asked.

"Just teaching the children helps me so much. Thank you."

"You're welcome. I enjoy doing it."

"Miss Christy? Are you goin' to teach us?" yelled Little Burl from the schoolhouse steps.

"I'm coming!" Christy shouted back. "Well, Keri, I guess I'll be going."

"All right. I'll see you later!" Keri threw over her shoulder .

"Thank you!" Christy shouted. She walked up the steps of the schoolhouse and went to her desk.

"Hello, children. It's so good to be back. But before I show you your surprise," she winked at them, "and we continue with our les­sons, I want each of you to start thinking of something that you could make for Miss Loving, to show your appreciation of her teaching you while I was gone."

A buzz went through the room. Apparently, the children were excited by this new project. "Can it be anythang?" Creed Allen piped up.

"Yes. . . ." Christy stopped and thought for a moment. This was Creed she was talking to. "But it has to be something that you made, like a picture, book, or poem. I'm afraid she wouldn't like any animals."

Creed's face fell, for he had wanted to give her a baby rabbit, but then he lit up with another idea, and started to write it down. Christy smiled.

"If you finish your work early today, I want you to work on this. I also want you to take it home. Now, for your surprise." She pulled the book from her desk and presented it to the class. "This is a poem book that I purchased for our school. There are some wonderful poems that I think you will all enjoy. Would you like me to read you some?"

"Oh, yes'm!" Rob said with excitement, just like Christy had thought he would. The other students who weren't as interested in lit­erature were not as excited, but a brand new book was intriguing to them, too.

"All right. Let me see…" Christy picked a spot about three-fourths of the way through the book and opened it. She started to read as she walked about the classroom:

" 'Alada Baskin

I am the dolphin

of the dunes,

the dhow of sunshine

steed of fire.

At once the courser

and the shallop,

the charger

who on each surge

of wind

will gallop.

With proudly arched

and copper neck

and dark

and fiery eye,

I long to roam

the desert now,

with all

my winged speed,

borne

with the swiftness

of Nasim,

for I'm

of

the Bedu breed.

I soar,

I am a hawk.

I trot the air.

The earth sings when I touch it.

The basest horn

of my hoof

is more musical

than the dulcimer

of Abora.

The falcon circles high,

a shadow in my desert eye.

What Meccan vision

halts my gliding dance

to catch me in

this Bedu trance?

Alada Baskin's Song'." Christy finished, entranced by the

words she had just read.

"Wow, Miss Christy. Them are some might fancified words," Zady said.

"Can anyone tell me what they think this poem is about?" Christy inquired of her students. Rob Allen's hand was the first in the air. "Yes, Rob?"

"Waal, I think the poet was a talkin' about a horse. A horse from a far-off place. From the desert."

"I think you're right Rob. Now, can someone tell me what this phrase means: 'The basest horn of my hoof is more musical than the dulcimer of Abora.' " Zady raised her hand this time,

"I think, Teacher, that it means that the lowest-soundin' horn, or mebbe sound of 'is, hoof is more sing-songy than the Abora dulci­mer. You know, the dulcimer jest like the one we read in 'Kubla Khan'." Ah, yes, Kubla Khan, one of the students' most revered poems.

Christy was astounded every day by her students' bright minds, but Zady's understanding of this was by far the most impressive.

"Why, Zady. That was absolutely perfect. Good job. All right, who would like to find a poem and read it to the class?" Nor­mally, no one would have raised their hand, but the poem book had cre­ated quite a stir.

Amidst all her students, Christy's eyes fell on Mountie. Tim­idly, she had raised her hand and her blue eyes were looking steadily at their Teacher. "Mountie, would you like to find a poem?" Christy softly asked. Quietly, Mountie nodded, stood up, and carefully took the book from Christy. For a minute, Mountie just ran her hands over the soft pages. Then she began vigilantly turning the pages until she found a poem. Christy stepped to her desk and Mountie began to read:

" 'Mustangs

Running with the wind,

Flying through the rain with grace,

The streams watch in awe,

The mountains observe the chase.

Mustangs' spirits' flow today.' "

Before Christy could comment, Mountie spoke to the class,

"I chose this poem 'cause that's a how I feel in the spring-time." Then Mountie handed the book to Christy and took her seat once more.

"That was beautiful, Mountie." Though Christy knew she, as well as her students, could spend the whole day reading poems, there were other things she wanted to do.

"Ok, class," she said as she sat the book on her desk, "what we're going to do next is I'm going to read a newspaper article to you and then I want each of you to write something about how it makes you feel or what you would do if you were that person. So, take out your chalkboards and I'll read the article to you."

Christy retrieved the paper from her chair and read the headline of the article she had marked:

Lady Workers killed in Triangle Fire Two Years Ago Finally Honored with Memorial at Elmwood Park in Chicago

When Christy finished, she let the children work on their sto­ries and Keri's gifts until it was time to dismiss them. Most of them had finished when she said, "All right, you're dismissed! Have a good weekend! If you can, get your presents ready to give to Miss Loving on Sunday!"

Everyone charged out the doors and Christy was just about to head to the mission, to gather some food to take to the Allen's like she had promised Creed, when the sound of pounding hooves met her ears. She walked down the steps and into the schoolyard to find Dr. MacNeill galloping Charlie all out to the mission. He slid to a stop beside her and jumped off of his horse.

"Christy! You'll never guess what just happened," he said, trying to catch his breath.

"Neil, is everything all right?" she asked with concern.

"Oh, Christy, you wouldn't believe. . . ." he trailed off, enjoying keeping her on edge.

"What is it?" she asked again.

"Well. . . ."

"Neil MacNeill, will you just tell me?" she raised her voice, now on the verge of getting angry. Neil laughed. He leaned in and spoke to her softly, as if not wanting anyone, even the birds, to hear.

"After our walk, Ben Pentland dropped by with a letter, from Scotland. Well, when I was in school there, I invested a small bit of money in their Stock Market. It seems that the exchange has shut down, and investors are now getting the money that their stocks were worth." Neil waited for her response.

"Did you receive any money?" Christy asked apprehensively.

"The letter said that I would receive my money as soon as I sent a reply."

"Did you send a reply?"

"No, I'm not quite sure what to put in it," Neil said, walking back to Charlie's saddlebags to retrieve the letter.

Christy was still not satisfied with the news. How much had he gotten? He wouldn't tell her. "Do you enjoy torturing me?" she asked. Neil looked up.

"What do you mean?" he said with a crafty smile.

"Well . . . how much did the letter say you would be receiving?"

"Oh, just about, let's see if I can remember. . . ." he said, staring off into space. Christy sighed. She was getting nowhere. So, since Neil wasn't looking, she reached out and took the letter from him.

Neil's head snapped down to see Christy holding the letter with a victorious smile on her face.

"Since you can't seem to remember how much, then I shall just have to find out for myself." Christy trotted up the schoolhouse steps and stopped to lean against the door. She pulled out the letter and read what was inside.

Neil followed her up the steps and waited until she was fin­ished reading. When she was, she looked up at him with large eyes. "$7,000! Neil! That is so wonderful! What are you going to do with it? You could start up a clinic or you could purchase more supplies or you could. . . ." she ranted on. Neil just stood there, letting her talk nine­teen to the dozen. Finally, when she was out of breath, he said,

"Don't wear yourself out, Miss Huddleston. I don't know what I'm going to do with it. Of course, I'm going to buy more supplies and more trachoma research material, but what about the rest of it?"

"I don't know. But this is too good to be true! Think of all the good we—you can do for the Cove," Christy said, trying to recover from her slip. Just what had it meant?

"We, Christy?" he asked taking a step closer to her. Locking her gaze on him, she said softly,

"Well, I was just thinking, since we both want so much to help the people here, I thought we could work together."

"I like that idea very much," he said, smiling. Christy so wanted to tell him how she felt, and almost had in the cave. The words were in her mouth when Neil said, "Christy, I can't tell you how much our walk and our talk meant to me yesterday. You helped me see the light, and I decided it was time for me to open my mother's bible once more. Thank you."

Christy eyes were misted over, and she clasped his hand. "Neil, I am so happy that you are on your way to finding God."

"Aye, lass, so am I." Christy smiled. Did Neil know what he did to her when he called her 'lass'? Breaking away from his gaze, she looked to the mission.

"I must be getting back to the mission. Will I see you in church on Sunday?"

"You can count on it."

As Christy walked back from the Allen's bathed in the glow of the setting sun, she felt as if she were on top of the world. Seeing Mary Allen's happy face as she set out the sugar, preserves, and precious candy made Christy feel as if she could accomplish anything.

That night, Christy relived the whole wonderful day; her talks with Keri, her walk with Neil, his news of the money he had inhibited, her first day back at school. What a day it had been!

That Sunday, Christy wondered if Neil would really keep his word about coming to church. She waited on the steps until David came to her side.

"Christy, is something wrong?"

"No, I'm just waiting for someone."

"Who?"

"Dr. MacNeill." David's eyes almost popped out of his head at the mention of the Doctor's name. He said no more, just nodded and headed back inside. Christy smiled. She hoped Neil would turn to David for guidance in his new faith. Then she saw him. He was bring­ing Charlie up the rise and waved to her. Neil tethered Charlie to the hitching post and headed up the steps.

"Good morning, Miss Huddleston. And how are you on this fine day?" he asked happily.

Christy was intrigued by his good spirits. "I'm good. What has made you so happy?"

"I'm just so glad to be here." He paused. "Would you care to go for a walk after the service?" Christy was taken aback, but gladly accepted. As they entered the church, all eyes were on Dr. MacNeill. Everyone was whispering, and Christy nodded to Neil, who said,

"Well, everyone, guess you never thought you'd see this ol' Doc in church, but here I am, and I have Miss Christy Huddleston partly to thank for that." He beckoned to Christy, who smiled. Everyone clapped softly, and then conversation started up again. As Christy sat down, she heard snatches like,

"Ya think Doc MacNeill got religion just ta please Miss Christy? Ya know they be sweet on each other."

"Sounds like Doc and Teacher a been courtin', the way he be a praisin' her." It were those words that made Christy blush as she sat down next to Keri. Keri smiled and said to her,

"I have wonderful news, Christy. Charlie is healed, and I will be going to El Pano to board the train to Asheville today."

"Keri, that's wonderful! How long will you be gone?"

"Oh, about a week. I really hope I can get the land," she said with a doubtful expression.

"I'm sure you will. I wish you luck." Then David started his sermon by saying,

"Good morning, everyone. Let us sing." After singing all of the highlander's favorite "religious-way songs," David started his sermon by saying, "Today I'm going to talk to you about sin. But first, let me ask you something: Would you want to sail in a boat with a large hole in the bottom?" Everyone shook their heads. "What about a boat with a smaller hole, but one that still let water in?" Again, everyone shook their heads, but this time, Creed Allen spoke.

"Why, no way, Preacher. A hole's a hole, and I ain't gonna sail in no boat with a hole, no matter how big it is. I'll still be a sinkin' to the bottom of the lake iffin I sail in a boat with a hole!" Everyone chuckled, and David said,

"That's right, Creed. A hole's a hole, and a sin's a sin. It doesn't matter how large or small it is, it's still a sin. And just like a hole can make your boat sink, a sin can make your soul sink. A smaller hole is easier to fix than a larger hole, as well as a smaller sin is easier to fix than a large one. But to fix the hole, you have to sew it up or plug it, no matter how large or small it is. And no matter how large or small a sin is, you have to confess it to God. In His eyes, all sins are the same, so no sin is ever too large for Him. Now, let me read to you from The Book of James, Chapter 2, verses 10 and 11:

'For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one _point_, he is guilty of all. For He who said, 'Do not commit adultery,' also said, 'Do not murder.' Now if you do not com­mit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgres­sor of the law.' "

As David explained the finer points of the scripture, Christy looked towards Neil, who was sitting next to Kyle Coburn. She caught his eye and smiled.

When the service was over, Christy saw David and Neil talking outside. Leaning against the doorway, she watched as the two former rivals talked, smiled, and shook hands. Neil walked up to her and asked,

"Ready to take that walk?"

"Certainly, Doctor. Could you wait a bit though? I have to give something to Keri."

"Of course."

Christy gathered all of the children that were at the service around her, pleased to find that they had completed Keri's gifts. Christy sent little Clara Spencer to retrieve Keri.

"Miss Loving, on behalf of your teaching the children these past few days, they have something they want to give you," Christy smiled.

As each child stepped up and gave Keri their gift, she became closer to tears. There were drawings, carvings, homemade jewelry, and other things. "Thank you, everyone. No one has ever done anything this nice for me. I will certainly enjoy these things as I leave for my trip.

Everyone had gathered around the children and Keri. Proud parents looked on as their children presented gifts that they had taught them to make.

"That was a nice thing you did, Christy," Neil said as he came up behind her.

Christy smiled. "I was just showing my appreciation for her teaching. Now, about that walk; just where are we going today?"

"I'm taking you to another place out of your dreams," he said teasingly.

"Not even funny." Soon they were near the pond, and Christy decided to ask a favor of Neil. "Neil?"

"Yes?" he replied, stopping to look at her.

"I know you're busy, but I was wondering, do you think you could find the time to teach the children a lesson or two? Like you did before?"

"And just what kind of lessons are you referring to?" he asked with a smile. Christy blushed, remembering when she had asked him to help her with hygiene classes.

"A science class, Neil. Like the one you did with the volcano."

"What over?" he asked, interested.

"Well, anything. Perhaps anatomy. You could use a frog as a model and compare it to a human," she suggested.

"That is a very clever idea, Miss Huddleston. I am quite busy, but will sometime in the next week be all right?"

"Of course, whenever you can make it will be fine." They con­tinued walking until they were at the gazebo.

"Care to sit?" Neil asked.

"Thank you," Christy said as she sat down. "Neil?" she asked.

"What is on your mind now?"

Christy had wanted to ask him about Margaret, but she decided that if he wanted her to know, he would tell her. "Ah, never mind."

"What is it?" Seeing that she would have to come up with some sort of answer, rather question, Christy asked,

"Well, is there any particular reason for this walk today?"

"No, I just enjoy your company," he said, looking a bit nerv­ous. Christy was amused, but said nothing more. They sat looking out over the pond when Neil broke the silence by saying, "Christy, I want to thank you for what you did for Margaret."

"What do you mean?"

"In the letter she left me, she told me that she was going to fix her life because of you. She also said that she would send me annul­ment papers. She did, and I signed them. Amazingly, Ben got them on their way to Asheville in a very short amount of time," Neil said, look­ing intently at Christy.

"I know," she said softly.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, before I left to come back here, I kind of checked to find out if it went through," Christy said, breaking away from his gaze.

"Why would you do that?" he asked in a quiet voice.

"I honestly don't know."

Neil was completely flummoxed by Christy's actions. Why had she looked into it? Neil's mind started to spin a hundred miles an hour, and he started to feel dizzy. _Pull yourself together man_, he said to himself. As Neil came back to reality, he uttered what he thought was under his breath, "Is this what love does to one?"

Christy heard bits and pieces of this, and suddenly sat up very straight. "What did you say?" Did he just say what she thought he might have said?

"We'd best head back," Neil said as he stood up. Christy was befuddled. Twice he had left her with strange comments that he always covered up. First, 'I'm going to Low Gap for a few days. Will you miss me?' and now this. She smiled at herself for remembering his exact words.

"This was nice, thank you," Christy said when they were back at the mission.

"You're welcome. I guess I will see you sometime next week then."

As Neil started to ride away, Christy gathered up her courage and said after him, "Yes, Neil, that is what it does to one." Then she turned away, half-hoping he hadn't heard, and jogged towards the mis­sion. Christy glanced back and saw that as he looked at her a brief look of understanding crossed his face, followed by an expression that Christy did not understand. It was not the look of love she thought he gave her sometimes. No, this one was . . . deeper, more unfathomable than the other. Then Neil merely waved and was off.


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Throughout the next week, Christy listened each day for the sound of Dr. MacNeill's horse. She was excited to see what the chil­dren's reactions would be to his lesson, and how much they would learn. But, truth be told, she was longing to see him again.

It was on Thursday morning that Christy stood looking out over the schoolyard into the foggy mist. Once or twice she thought she had heard hoof beats. But no one appeared from behind the thick curtain. Christy knew Neil would keep his word, but no one had seen or heard of him since Sunday. Luckily, nobody had fallen very ill.

Sighing, Christy turned back to her students, who were work­ing on their arithmetic. She picked up a newspaper from her desk and said to the room,

"All right, children. We're going to do something different now. Finish the figures you're on, and then take out your slates." Christy waited until the children had finished and were ready before she began the lesson. "Do any of you remember when we studied the Civil War?" Heads nodded and a few snickers could be heard. "I'm going to read to you a newspaper article about a very courageous young woman who helped set many innocent sla—people, free." Christy avoided talking about slaves or blacks, for she knew it would only create an up­roar, and if it was anything like the one a few of her students had caused when they studied the Civil War before, she knew the matter would be best learnt if taught slowly.

"Her name was Harriet Tubman. This is the headline:

'Harriet Tubman, Conductor on the Underground Railroad, Dies at Home in Auburn, New York, but will be Well Remembered

Harriet Tubman, famous woman who ventured far from home to save and free slaves. . . .' "

"Sounds like someone I know," bellowed a deep voice from the doorway. It was Dr. MacNeill.

Christy looked up and was so startled that she dropped the newspaper. The loose pages scattered about the floor. A few of her students giggled, and some of them exchanged winks. Neil could barely contain his own mirth.

"Dr. MacNeill," Christy said, stooping down to retrieve the newspaper and its pages. "How nice of you to come. Children, we will finish with our newspaper later. Today, Dr. MacNeill has come to give you another science lesson. Please give him your full attention." Step­ping out of the aisle, she said, "Doctor, they are all yours."

"Thank you, Miss Huddleston," Neil said as he sat his medical bags down on a front desk. Then, he pulled a pillowcase from his bags, and from that, a dead frog. "Today, children, we are going to learn about anatomy. Does anyone know what that is?" Becky O'Teale raised her hand.

"Ain't that the studyin' of the body, like lungs and such?"

"That's right, Becky. I'm going to show you what's inside of a frog. Gather 'round." The children all scrambled from theirs desks, trying to see what the doctor was doing to do.

Christy walked to the back of the room and leaned against the doorway, watching as her students stood in wonder around Dr. MacNeill. There were 'oohs' and 'aahs' and a few 'eewws' as Neil dis­sected the frog. She looked at him. His hair was as unruly as ever, and he looked to be a bit tired, but something was different. The way he spoke, his eyes. Something had happened to him, but what?

Then Christy turned her eyes to the mountains. There were so beautiful, standing there clothed in the fog. The fog made the mountains seem higher, more alive, and twice as mysterious. Christy didn't know how long she stood there, but was brought back to the pre­sent by a tap on the shoulder.

"Was my lesson that boring, Miss Huddleston?" Christy turned to face Neil.

"Of course not, I just got caught up in the mountains."

"Yes, they certainly are beautiful," he said, staring out at them.

"I can't thank you enough, Neil, for doing this. I know you must be very busy. Is there anything that I can do for you?"

"It was my pleasure. There is something you could do for me, though. Would you like to take a ride this afternoon?" he asked, breaking his gaze from the mountains.

"I would love too. After school?"

Nodding, Neil started down the steps of the schoolhouse to his horse. He mounted, waved, and then headed to the mission.

After Christy dismissed her students, she gathered up her things and started the walk down to the mission.

It was still quite foggy, and Christy felt herself come alive. As a child, she had always loved and been fascinated by the fog.

Picking up her skirts, and almost dropping her books, she ran as fast as she could down to the mission. Like a young filly, she jumped the sticks and dodged the holes. As she neared the house, Christy was re­lieved to find that Neil was not waiting for her. With her hair plastered to her damp face and her skirts wet and muddy, she looked more like ten than twenty.

As she entered the house and hurried to her room, masculine voices could be heard in the parlor. Christy peeked in, and saw that David and Neil were sitting and talking. Neil had a bible in his hands.

Christy was a bit startled, but filled with you. She was deeply happy that finally, Neil was finding his way to God. After all that had happened in his life, he was finally finding peace with God, and himself.

In her room, Christy put her books down, fixed her hair, and headed back outside to the barn to saddle Bonnie.

When she led the horse back up to the mission, Neil was wait­ing for her.

"Ready?' he asked.

"Let's go," Christy smiled. As she mounted up, she suddenly realized that she had forgotten to change into her riding skirt. Her leg was quite visible to Neil.

"Ah . . . I'll be right back," she mumbled as she quickly got down from Bonnie. Neil had to chuckle. Propriety in the Cove was fairly downgraded from what Christy was used to.

Minutes later, and still blushing crimson, Christy emerged from the mission wearing her riding skirt. Avoiding eye contact with Neil, she mounted Bonnie and urged her on far ahead of Neil.

"Where to?" she asked tensely, not glancing back.

Neil couldn't contain himself any longer. He let out a loud laugh. Christy whirled Bonnie around.

"Just what is so funny, Doctor," she said angrily.

"I'm sorry, Christy, but the way you came out of the mission and rode off a mile ahead of me was just too much. You still cannot see why propriety is so lowly regarded here."

"Well, yes, I see, but . . . ah—"

"Christy," he said, breaking into a trot to catch up with her. "I am a doctor. I have treated many a cuts on a woman's leg, and elsewhere."

Blushing deeper, she quickly changed the subject by asking, "Where are we going?"

Neil smiled, but this time kept his com­ments to himself.

"I would like to check up on Dan Scott. I haven't seen him around for a while. With the situation between him and Bird's-Eye, I hope he's all right."

"Yes, I've been worried about him, also." They rode in silence for a moment, until Christy noticed that Neil was studying Bonnie. "Do you like her?" Christy asked.

"Yes, very much. You say you bought her in Asheville?"

"I bought her from a farm not far out of Asheville," Christy said, patting Bonnie's neck.

"An Arab, is she not?"

"Yes."

"How much did you pay for her?" Neil inquired, obviously interested in the animal.

"Let's see, $300. Creed gave me his saddle."

"Creed gave you his saddle, that he won?" Neil asked, sur­prised.

"He did. Creed said it was 'gonna set and rot 'way.' " Christy paused, wondering if she should ask Neil where he had been during the week. "Neil, I know it's none of my business, but where have you been all week?"

"I've been wanting to tell you about the past few days, that's why I asked you to ride with me."

"Oh?" Christy asked, pleased that Neil would want to confide in her.

"Yes. I went on a retreat, kind of like the ones Alice goes on. I went to my cave. For a long while, I thought about God, about what had happened to me, and what you had said.

"When I was there, I felt God calling me, pulling at my very soul."

The fog surrounded them with its comforting arms as Neil pulled Charlie up and Christy stopped beside him. When Neil looked over to Christy, an inner glow that pierced through the fog radiated from her eyes; she was hoping beyond hope at his next words.

"I went to Hattie. She told me that indeed God was calling me, to become his child. Christy, with Hattie's help, I've accepted Christ."

Christy could hold back her tears of joy no longer. "Oh, Neil, I'm so happy for you! The peace of God has finally reached you."

Did Neil dare to wipe Christy's tears away? He leaned over with a handkerchief and brushed them away. Christy smiled and took his hand.

"I have seen you struggle, Neil, against God, and his Truth; through the hardships here, and Margaret."

Neil said softly with sorrow in his eyes, "Margaret drained me of my small acknowledgement of God and who He was. She took the life right out of me, but with the help of the Reverend, I am beginning to forgive her, not just forget her." He looked intently at Christy, who met his gaze for a moment and then looked away.

She urged Bonnie on, but a small smile played upon her lips. They rode in comfortable silence the rest of the way to Dan's. When the cabin came into view, Neil called out.

"Dan? You here? It's MacNeill."

Neil and Christy were surprised at how far the rebuilding had come. Had Dan done it all on his own? Dan emerged from the far side of his house and greeted the two riders as they dismounted.

"Doctor MacNeill, Miss Christy. What brings you here to­day?"

"Hello, Dan," Christy said. "Doctor MacNeill invited me to take a ride with him, and since we hadn't seen you for awhile, we thought we'd pay you a visit."

"Your cabin looks good, Dan. Did anyone help you?" Neil asked.

"Bird's-Eye Taylor." Neil and Christy were taken aback.

"Bird's-Eye?" They both asked.

Dan nodded, "While you were gone, Miss Christy, I went and spoke to Bird's-Eye," he smiled grimly, remembering. "Of course, it didn't go too well, but some days later he came and offered to help me with my cabin, claiming he aimed to pay me for the large rabbit I left him."

"Bird's-Eye Taylor," Christy said once again.

"'Tis good work Dan, but Bird's-Eye is a tricky fella," Neil said as he remounted. "We had best be off, the sun is going down."

Christy smiled at Dan while she tightened Bonnie's cinch and climbed up. "I'm glad Bird's-Eye gave you another chance."

"I don't know about that, Miss Christy, but maybe he's at least starting to see me as an equal." Dan waved and Neil and Christy were off.

"God's painting again," Christy said, referring to the pastel orange glow surrounded by gray pinks and blues as they rode into the mission clearing.

"Yes, He is. It's as if God painted the sunset at first with inten­sity, but then decided to soften it with the fog. Isn't it beautiful?"

"The most beautiful thing in the world," Christy replied, mes­merized by the hues.

"Almost," Neil said softly. Christy looked away shyly.

"I mean it, Christy."

"So," she said a moment later, breaking the stirring moment, "have you decided what you are going to do with your money?"

"I'm going to have them wire in some of the money to my bank account in Asheville."

"You have a back account in Asheville?" Christy asked, taken by surprise. She didn't know _anyone_ in the Cove who had a bank ac­count of any kind. Of course, Dr. MacNeill wasn't just "anyone."

"Don't look so startled, Miss Huddleston. It's not like I would put nearly $7,000 in the El Pano Bank, when it barely even has $700 to start with," he smiled. "But, to answer your question, I asked in my reply for $5,000 to be wired to the bank in Asheville, and, for conven­ience, $1,500 to be wired to El Pano."

"What about the other $500?" Christy asked.

"That . . . ah, will be sent directly to me," he stumbled. In truth, Neil had wanted to donate that to the mission. But he wanted the donation to remain anonymous. Neil knew that if a seemingly large sum of money arrived at the mission, Christy would know it was he who had sent it. Others might find out, also. And any money that someone had made others jealous.

Determined that the money would reach the mission, Neil had asked that the $500 be wired anonymously to Christy's church in Asheville, where it would then be sent to the mission.

Christy didn't buy it for a minute, but had other things on her mind, so she asked a different question. "What will you do with the money in the bank?

"One day, I would like to have a building built, where I could have an office and practice there, not in my home."

Christy nodded, "That is a good idea." Each with their own thoughts, they rode in silence the rest of the way to the mission. Christy wanted to ask him about his comment on Sunday, but didn't know if she had the courage.

The words were in her mouth as she dismounted from Bonnie, but they wouldn't be spoken. Curious of the pensive look on her face, Neil asked,

"Christy, is everything all right?"

Swallowing, Christy nodded and said, "Yes. Thank you for the wonderful time today. I enjoyed it very much."

"So did I. Good-bye." And he rode off into the world of mi­asma.

Two days later, Keri returned. She returned with a new horse, and a visitor. Christy was very relieved, for with Miss Alice gone, the work at the mission and its surrounding components had been stretched between David, Christy, and Fairlight. Ruby Mae was there also, but like always, she was more trouble than help. It was not so much the duties at the mission that were hard to keep up with, but Miss Alice's frequent riding to and from the different Coves, which David now had to cover.

"Keri," Christy said as she walked out of the mission with Fairlight to greet the riders, "I'm so glad you're back. We missed you here."

"I'm glad to be back," Keri replied, and then nodded at Fairlight. "Hello, Fairlight." Then she motioned to the woman beside her. "This is my dearest friend, Lindsey Ramsey." Christy turned her eyes to Lindsey, who sat atop a noble chestnut horse.

As Lindsey took her hat off, Christy could see that her hair was of a very light blond. Like Miss Alice, Lindsey's hair was braided and wound into a tiara on the top of her head. In fact, Christy could picture Lindsey and Miss Alice as princess and queen in fairytale land. Lindsey's blue-gray eyes were soft and kind.

She, like Keri, wore trousers to ride in, and her light blue shirtwaist bore a pearl cross.

Christy introduced herself, "I'm Christy Huddleston, the teacher here. This is my friend, Fairlight Spencer. Her children go to school here, and she helps us out at the mission," Christy said, motion­ing to her awestruck friend.

"Hello, Miss Huddleston, Mrs. Spencer. Keri has told me much about you, Miss Huddleston, and your horse. You must show me her." _Lindsey is surely a friend of Keri's, both are completely engrossed in horses_, Christy thought.

Tying the three horses up, they headed inside, where Ruby Mae had excitedly set up glasses of water upon hearing of the arrival of "Miss Loving."

"That's a might purty horse Miss Keri has," Fairlight whis­pered, referring to the new light, cream-colored horse that Keri had brought back with her. Christy also noticed that it had a distinctive, flowing motion as it walked.

"Yes, it is, Fairlight. I've never seen a horse of that color."

At the mission door they were greeted by Ruby Mae. "How was yer trip, Miss Loving? I see ye brung back another horse."

"Yes, I did. Her name is Pastel Climax. But I call her Dream. Ruby Mae, this is my friend, Lindsey Ramsey."

"Pleased ta meet ya, Miss Ramsey."

"Hello, Ruby Mae. Such a pretty name," Lindsey said, sticking out a hand.

"Yes'm. No one has a name like mine," Ruby Mae said, shak­ing Lindsey's hand.

"Ruby Mae, would you be willing to take care of Miss Ramsey's and Miss Loving's horses?" Christy asked the redhead.

"Honored, Miss Christy." As Ruby Mae walked out of the door, she said to herself, "Pastel Climax, downright princess-like." Keri and Lindsey chuckled.

"Well, Miss Ramsey, what brings you out here to Cutter Gap?" Christy asked as she sipped her water.

"I'm from Colorado, also. When Keri left her ranch and told me that she was going to Tennessee to raise horses, I wanted to follow and help her. It took time to get everything settled, but, as you can see, I made it, along with my mare that I raised back in Colorado, Sassy B Chick."

"The . . . uh . . .brown one?" Christy inquired. The color brown did not do justice to the beautiful horse, but Christy knew of no other word. Keri and Lindsey sure knew how to raise wonderful horses.

"Yes. Her color is called chestnut, but she seems to be a bit of bay, too…" Lindsey trailed off. Obviously loosing Christy in her world of horses, Lindsey said,

"Anyway, since we were small children, we both have loved horses." Lindsey smiled at Keri. "I always loved going to Keri's ranch. It was our dream to raise horses, and it is here we can achieve that."

"Yes, we certainly can." Keri paused, barely able to keep from shrieking, "I got the land over in Low Gap! Stephen A. Branson had no clue he even owned the land. I was able to get a _very_ good deal. He didn't know what hit him when I walked into his office!"

Christy chuckled. She could just see the shock on the face of a man such as Stephen A. Branson when a redheaded, green-eyed, young woman waltzed into his office and offered him money for land he didn't know he had. Christy knew the likes of Stephen A. Branson. "What are you going to do with the land, Keri? Structure-wise, I mean."

"Well, I got 75 of his 150 acres. Most of it is flat, but I wanted some wooded land, also. I plan to build two barns and three fenced pastures. "

A frown crossed Christy's face. "That is going to be quite hard, Keri. You will have plenty of lumber, but how will it be built? And the mountain families might not take to a horse farm. The likes of it hasn't been seen before in these mountains." Not wanting to discour­age Keri, for Christy believed anything could be achieved, she added, "I believe you can do it, don't get me wrong, it's just that through living here I have learned that the people don't accept anything that is new to them. Sometimes that unaccepting attitude can produce violence and raiding."

Fairlight, who had been quietly sitting there the whole time, contemplating the idea of a horse farm, had an idea and said, "Miss Keri, Miss Ramsey, I know the men out here real well, an' they might be lazy 'uns, but they'll work fer money, iffin it's real, good, hard, fair work. My Jeb and Tom McHone are real good at buildin' cabins and such. I know they'd be obleeged to help ye."

For a few moments, Keri sat thinking. "That is a good idea, Fairlight. Would the men really work for me if I paid them?"

"Oh, yes. With the right promtin', they'd do a right fine job," Fairlight said eagerly, glad to help.

Keri then said to Christy, "What do you propose I do about people's attitudes?"

Christy answered, "Try and keep the building as quiet and unno­ticeable as possible, and use as little outside help as you can, even if it means taking longer." Keri nodded, considering. "Also, Keri, show the people that you pose no threat to them. Like Fairlight said, offer them jobs and, if you can afford it, offer them low-priced horses in the future."

Lindsey piped up, "What if we stayed until spring and then started to build? Maybe give people time to accept us."

"Yes, but where would we live during that time?" Keri asked.

"You could stay at the mission," Christy offered.

"No, that is all right. We can certainly find another place to stay," Keri said.

"I doubt that you will, Keri. Really, we don't mind taking peo­ple in. We have plenty of room."

"All right, but only if we find no other place to go."

"Good, then it's settled," Christy said as she stood up. "Miss Ramsey, would you like a tour of the mission?"

"I would enjoy that very much. Please, Christy, Fairlight, call me Lindsey," she smiled.

"I enjoyed talking with ye, Miss Keri, Miss Lindsey. I'd best go finish the laundry," Fairlight said shyly.

"It was nice meeting you, Mrs. Spencer," Lindsey called after Fairlight. As they were walking up to the schoolhouse, Lindsey in­quired, "How many people live here?"

"Four permanent residents: David, our preacher, Miss Alice, the head of the mission, myself, and Ruby Mae, who doesn't really have a home. Fairlight Spencer, as you know, is staying here for a while, until Miss Alice returns from," Christy searched for the right words, "visiting her daughter."

"When did Miss Alice leave?" Keri asked.

"Last Sunday."

"I see. Where is David?"

"David went to Lufty Branch today." Lindsey had not heard a word Christy and Keri had said. She could only murmur in awe,

"This is a piece of heaven. . . ."

Christy and Keri smiled at each other. It looked as if Cutter Gap had snatched yet another victim of its beauty. At the schoolhouse, Christy proudly announced,

"And this is our school and church. . . . "


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Over a month had passed since Miss Alice left for Knoxville. No one had heard from her, and Christy was growing anx­ious. She hoped to receive word soon.

Meanwhile, Lindsey and Keri had been visiting everyone around the Cove. As people got used to seeing the two young women riding around the Cove from cabin to cabin, they began to at least toler­ate, if not accept the two.

Lindsey and Keri also spent a fair amount of time exploring their land in Low Gap. Sometimes they would be gone a week. Upon exploring the dense forest part of their land, they discovered an old, rundown cabin. The cabin itself was in questionable shape, but the lean-to was large and sturdy, for the horses of course.

In no time at all, Lindsey, Keri, Dream, Sassy, and Charlie all settled down in their temporary home, finally in a place to call their own.

David, Neil, and Christy could also be seen together quite of­ten. David and Christy gently helped Neil along in his faith, and the whole Cove and its surrounding areas took notice that their doctor, who they greatly respected, had found happiness and peace in religion. The congregation in the church grew slowly, but surely.

After school let out for the harvest, Christy spent the cooler Indian summer days taking long walks around the Cove. She sometimes went with Keri and Lindsey, but most often went with Neil or Fairlight.

One warm Monday morning, Christy and Neil were strolling through the meadow near the mission. David watched from inside the schoolhouse. He had been repairing the windows when he heard hoof beats approaching the mission. David knew it was Neil.

David had kept his promise to Christy; remaining good friends with her and respecting her choice. At first, it had been hard. Sure, he had put on a good, friendly front for Christy, but every night at least one tear escaped from his reserve. Time had healed David though, for when he looked out the window, and saw Neil and Christy, the hurt he had come to expect did not surface. Instead, a joy stole through him. A joy for Neil's faith, and a joy for Christy; that the last barrier between her and Neil had been broken. He chuckled.

Christy had professed her love for the good doctor to David while in Asheville, but had not yet expressed her feelings to Neil. David sent a silent prayer of thanks to God, for healing him, and then contin­ued with his work.

As Christy walked through the tall brome grass, speaking to Neil and admiring the beauty around her, she noticed that Neil had a faraway look on his face. Concluding that he was not listening to what she was saying, Christy said nonchalantly,

". . . and then I told David I would marry him, and. . . ." This com­ment brought Neil back to his senses.

"You _what?_"

"I'm just teasing. If you would have been paying attention, you would have been saved of this shock," she said in her treacherly tone. Christy then turned serious. "What is on your mind, Neil?"

"I was thinking about Margaret." He paused, searching for words. "Yes, I've forgiven her, but does she know that? Her days are limited. I would feel horrible if she died without knowing how I felt towards her," he stooped down to pick a few small flowers.

"And how do you feel towards her?" Christy tried to casually ask.

Neil thought on this a moment. "When I think about her, I get a feeling of sadness and compassion inside me. I am sad for our horri­ble marriage, but I do not hate her. I feel a kind of brotherly concern stir in me when I think about what she has been through."

Through a shaky smile, Christy said, "Neil MacNeill, you are truly amazing. The bible tells us to 'love thine enemy,' yet I have not seen many people who can do that, myself included. But you found it in your heart a Christian love towards Margaret."

"Twas not easy, though, Christy. I have been reading my bible a lot. It seems the more I read it, the more I want of it," he reached down to pick more flowers.

"'Thirst of the Word', Neil."

"I just wish I understood all of it," he said, running his fingers through his hair.

"Oh, Neil. We will never be able to understand all of it. There is one verse about that. . . . Oh, yes: For we now see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then shall I know just as I also am known. That means that right now, we see God par­tially, but one day we will see Him fully. Pray to understand Him and His Word."

Neil nodded, and slipped back into deep thought. Christy was just about to ask him if he was all right when he said, "Christy, I need to talk to Margaret. Do you know how I can reach her?"

Christy shook her head. "No, I don't. I haven't heard from Miss Alice, and I am worried. What if something happened to her, or Margaret?"

"If something had happened, we would have heard by now. They are all right, I'm sure." Neil picked more flowers, along with a long stem of grass. "But, did Alice leave you with an address, or any­thing?"

Again, Christy shook her head. "No."

"If Alice knows she's going to be gone much longer, she'll call, or send a letter, don't you think?" Neil asked, trying to reassure Christy.

"Yes, I suppose so," Christy said, not convinced.

Placing a comforting hand on Christy's shoulder, Neil said, "Christy, don't worry. They are fine. Here, these will brighten your day." He handed her the small bouquet of flowers that he had been picking.

"Thank you, Neil."

Back at the mission, after saying good-bye to Neil, Christy finished her work. After that had been completed, Christy retrieved the piano books she had received from her mother and sat down at the piano.

Since Lindsey and Keri were out riding, David was working on the schoolhouse, Fairlight was out gathering food, and Ruby Mae had gone to the Spencer's for Fairlight, Christy felt safe that no one would hear the many mistakes she knew she would make.

She pulled out the "Pieces are Fun" book and turned to the first page. As Christy started to play the chords, cadences, and scales, her long ago instruction started to come back. Though Christy knew she made several mistakes, the piano music was a sweet sound to her ears.

Deciding that she had had enough of technique playing, and that her fingers were stretched, Christy pulled out the Beethoven book. She opened the book, which fell to the fourth page. It was entitled the "Moonlight Sonata." The song didn't look too hard, so, setting the book back on the music stand, Christy began to slowly play. It was harder than she expected.

David had finished the schoolhouse repairs, and as he neared the mission, he heard strains of piano music flowing through the win­dows. Fairlight, who had been picking late greens, also heard the music as she returned to the mission. _Who could that be?_ They both wondered as they met at the stairway.

Fairlight and David entered the house and quietly walked near the parlor door, and found a very determined Christy playing the piano.

David smiled. Though Christy made so many mistakes that the theme of the song could barely be heard, David listened with joy. Christy's inner music made up for the mistakes she made on the exte­rior.

Fairlight stood in awe. She had heard Miss Ida play before she had gotten married and left the Cove, but the song that Christy was playing was unlike anything Fairlight had ever heard before.

Just as quietly as he came, David left, filled with joy as he gath­ered more supplies to continue the mission repairs. Fairlight re­treated to the kitchen to chop and prepare her greens.

Christy had not noticed David or Fairlight, and had continued playing. After awhile, she had accomplished playing the first eight measures quite well. Now that the haunting melody could clearly be followed, the song was vaguely familiar. Christy could not remember where she had heard it before.

She kept playing. Then, the realization of where she had heard the song before hit her. Christy's fingers froze, and an ugly clash of notes could be heard as her fingers fell heavily on the keys.

Theodore S. Harland had played the song when Christy had first been introduced to Margaret! Christy clearly remembered that in­troduction.

Christy had walked down the stairs that morning to find Mr. Harland playing. "A vision of loveliness," he had said when he saw her.

Then Miss Alice had entered and introduced her to Margaret. Christy remembered when Margaret had shown obvious "friendliness" to­wards Mr. Harland as she sat down next to him at the piano, and the look of disbelief on Miss Alice's face.

It was when Margaret turned her back to Miss Alice and Christy that Mr. Harland had proceeded to play the secondary move­ment of the "Moonlight Sonata."

Christy shuddered at the memory and at the words spoken. Suddenly, she realized that she had been sitting at the piano motionless for several moments. The clattering of a pan made her jump. Fairlight! Had Fairlight heard her playing? Christy put up her books and headed to the kitchen. Fairlight looked up when she entered.

"Miss Christy, that song you were playin' was plumb mesmer­izin'."

Christy nodded. "It was. If only I could play it well. I make too many mistakes."

"I think you play hit just fine. Yer mistakes will only make ya better."

"I suppose so."

"Christy," Fairlight said as she put her greens aside, "I don't know how to rightly put this," she paused for several moments. "There here have been rumors goin' around . . . 'bout you and the doc."

Christy's head shot up. "There has been?"

Fairlight nodded. "Everybody's sayin' that you two are a courtin'."

"What! How did they get a silly idea like that?"

"Christy, whenever people see you takin' a walk, yer with Neil."

"I am not! I go with you and Keri and—"

Fairlight sighed, and pulled her friend to the table to sit down. "You've admitted to yerself how ya feel fer Neil. Ain't it 'bout time he knew, too? The both of ya ain't gonna be around forever."

Christy blushed. "But what if, what if he feels differently?"

Fairlight smiled. "He won't, not now, not ever."

"How can you be so sure?" Christy asked negatively.

"Me and Neil grew up tagether; we're like kin. I can read what's inside him 'bout better than anyone. Don't yew worry. I told ya ta follow yer heart once, didn't I? Keep followin' hit."

A few days later, Christy stood in her room staring at her reflec­tion in the mirror. She turned to face Fairlight, who was with her. "How do I look?"

"Yew look as purty as an angel. Betcha Neil will think so, too."

Christy turned back to the mirror. Today was the day. She was going to tell Neil her true feelings. The light blue satin summer lawn dress flowed about her ankles and set Christy's face aglow. She had even left her hair down and worn the earrings and pin that David had given her in Asheville. "All right, I'm ready."

"Good. Yer basket of food is on the table."

"Thank you, Fairlight."

"All right! And don't you be a kissin' him too much!"

Christy grabbed the basket and quickly headed out the door. Her face was no longer aglow; it was a burning flame!

Christy's emotions a mixture of excitement and fear, she started for Neil's cabin. As she walked, Christy found herself lost in the beautiful fall colors of the forest. She stooped down to pick up a bright orange leaf, and marveled at its vibrancy.

Meanwhile, at his cabin, Neil was just stepping out of the river from a bath and into his clothes when he heard a voice calling out down the path from his cabin. He listened carefully. Yes, it was Christy. Hurriedly, Neil buttoned up his pants, put on his shoes, threw on his shirt and started up to his cabin.

Coming up behind her, and noticing how nicely she was dressed, Neil asked,

"Miss Huddleston, what brings you here today?" She jumped and spun around, almost hitting him with the basket.

"Neil! You scared me! I, ah . . . I thought you might like some company, and ah," she quickly added, "some good food."

Neil chuckled. Something sure had her flustered. "What? Are you saying that I cannot cook myself a good meal?"

Christy smiled, "I don't doubt that you can _cook_, Dr. MacNeill, I just doubt that you can cook a _complete and wholesome _meal."

"Well, when you put it that way, I guess you are right. But why else did you come here today? Is there someone new at the mission who wants to become a doctor?"

"Noo . . . I . . . ahh. . . ." she looked away.

"Christy, is there something you need to talk to me about?" Neil asked with concern.

Gathering up her courage, she looked up at him and said, "Yes, Neil, there is. But could we eat first?"

Neil was puzzled. "Of course."

Through the meal, Christy forgot about her nervousness and just enjoyed Neil's company. They talked of the detailed plans Neil had for his money, and of the children.

Both pleasantly stuffed, Neil said, "Thank you very much for the lunch, Christy."

"You should thank Fairlight, she made it," Christy smiled.

Neil chuckled. "Well, you can tell her she did a very good job. Now, is there something you wanted to tell me?" Christy's intentions of coming to his cabin that day had bothered Neil a bit throughout their meal. He was quite curious.

Christy's smile disappeared. "Ah . . . yes, I do. Let's go down by the river."

"Neil, do you remember when I wanted to send Rob Allen to college?" Christy asked as they were walking by the river.

"Ah, yes. I also remember quite well the religious debate David, you, and I had."

Christy smiled at the memory. "I remember I came to your cabin to ask you to help, and the argument we had. When I said that my coming here 'doesn't hold me back, it pushes me forward,' " she paused, "you said, 'into the unknown.' "

"I do remember that argument." They had stopped at Neil's fishing spot.

"Neil, that 'unknown' was you. I didn't like you at first; in fact, I resented you. But that resentment grew to tolerance, that toler­ance to respect, that respect to friendship, that friendship to, to love," she said softly.

Had Neil heard her right?

"Neil, I love you! I love you more than I thought I could ever love anyone!" she exclaimed, tears in her eyes.

He had heard her right! In one step, Neil enclosed Christy in a tight hug. "Oh, Christy, lass, do you know how long I have waited to hear you say that? I love you, too. So much."

They embraced beside the river that had brought each of them wonderful memories, and sorrows. Finally, Neil said,

"Come on, I'll ride you back to the mission. They will be start­ing to worry about you." Stepping back from their embrace, Neil gently leaned down and gave Christy the softest of kisses; their first kiss.

Christy was speechless. David's kisses had been . . . well, pleas­ant kisses, nothing more, but Neil's were . . . they spoke volumes; of his respect and love for Christy, of his desire to be with her and protect her.

Suddenly, Christy remembered the last comment Fairlight had made to her, and pulled away from Neil, blushing.

Seeing her red face, Neil asked worriedly, "Is something wrong, Christy? Have I done anything?"

"Oh, no! That was…wonderful," she said, reassuring him.

"Then why the red face?" Neil asked, slightly amused.

"I . . . ah, I was just remembering something Fairlight told me."

"And what might that be?"

Smiling, and still blushing, Christy whispered what had been said in his ear. Neil laughed uproariously.

"I suppose she is right. I'll go saddle up Charlie."

"Neil," Christy said as they were riding back, "this has to be the happiest day of my life."

"I could make it happier," he said nervously over his shoulder.

Christy was taken aback. What could he mean? "Is that so?"

"Christy, I'm asking your permission to court you."

"Oh, Neil. Yes, you may!" Christy shouted.

"I'm glad that you are so happy, Miss Huddleston," he teased.

Christy didn't know what to say. She couldn't stop smiling. Only in her dreams had she been this happy. A certain dream, and part-reality came to mind: the cave. She laughed inwardly.

"Christy?" Neil asked. "Are you going back to your home for Thanksgiving?"

"This is my home."

Neil smiled. "I mean to your family."

"Yes, I suppose so. Since they are coming here for Christmas."

"They are?" Neil asked, surprised, and worried. How would they feel about Neil and Christy, together?

Christy sensed his worry and hugged him tighter. "Yes, but don't worry. They will approve of us. Remember, I am as stubborn as you when it comes to getting my way."

"Your way?" he asked with a smile.

"You are my way," Christy said softly.

All too soon they were at the mission. Christy and Neil's glow­ing faces were all Fairlight needed to know when she stepped out of the mission kitchen.

"Miss Christy, Doc MacNeill. Did ye have a good lunch?" she asked with a smile.

"The best ever, Fairlight. Christy tells me I have you to thank for that."

"Weren't nothin'. I figgered Christy had other," Fairlight looked mischievously at Christy, "things to tend to instead of makin' up a basket of food."

"Well, thank you, Fairlight. Christy, I'll see you tomorrow at church."

"Yes, of course. Good-bye, Neil."

Fairlight smiled at the wistful look on the schoolteacher's face. "Christy, I hate ta interrupt yer dreams, but you got some letters."

At the word "letters," Christy pulled out of her trance. "Thank you, Fairlight. Where are they?"

"Thay're in on the table."

Christy walked quickly to the table. Would there be a letter from Miss Alice? Ruby Mae, who was washing dishes, said as her teacher walked in,

"Howdy, Miss Christy. Did ya have a good visit with the doc?"

Christy looked up. "Hello, Ruby Mae. I did have a good visit."

"Are ya gonna go courtin' 'gin?" Christy's face must have turned red when she glanced up, for Ruby Mae shouted, "Lordy, Miss Christy! Are ya gonna get hitched? This is purely the most excitin' thing ever! Mrs. Spencer! Mrs. Spencer…"

Christy didn't bother to try to get in a word edgewise. She was more concerned about the letters. Now, where were they? She searched the table for them, and was just about to give up when she saw three white items shadowed by the flowers that Neil had given her a few days ago.

Christy grabbed them and sat down. The first one was from her parents. She smiled as she read that her brother had a black eye from a recent fight. Over a girl, no less. Then Christy's eyes widened at what she read next:

. . . and why don't you bring Dr. MacNeill with you to celebrate Thanksgiving? He has no one to celebrate with, and besides, I'm sure your father will want to talk to him. . . .

Bring Neil with her? Christy liked the idea, but would Neil accept? Christy sighed and opened the next letter. It was from Miss Alice! It read:

Dearest Christy,

How is everything at the mission? I am terribly sorry to have been gone this long.

This past month has been wonderful for Margaret and I. She has landed the lead role in a local play and is quite a good actress. Margaret's tuberculosis is also doing quite well; there are no complications. Her main treatment plan is a little more than two months long. One month has passed, and I would like to remain with her for the remaining treatment. Margaret is plan­ning to stay in Knoxville for quite sometime and will be able to keep to her long-term treatment plan.

We plan to celebrate Thanksgiving together, and then I should be back. We have so much to be thankful for. Please, give everyone my regards and have David send me his report for the surrounding missions and schools. God keep thee.

Alice Henderson

Miss Alice not coming home for another month? How would they manage? But Christy was so happy for Miss Alice and Margaret. They were finally becoming a real family.

The next letter in Christy's hand was from her church in Asheville:

Dear Mission at Cutter Gap,

An anonymous donation of money was sent to us and with it, a note asking that we forward the money to you. May this money bless your mission and your work.

Sincerely,

The Asheville Presbyterian Church

Enclosed was $500! Christy was breathless. Who had sent the money to her church? She was overjoyed, but who would be this gener­ous?

Christy quickly gathered up her letters and went down to David's bunkhouse, where he was working on his sermon. "David? David, come quick!"

David's heavy footsteps could be heard as he ran to the door. "What is it?" he asked worriedly

"David, read this letter," Christy said excitedly as she handed him the letter with the money. When David saw the check, his eyes nearly popped out of his head.

"Who—What—Where—"

"I have no idea, David. Isn't it wonderful? What are we going to do with it?"

"Oh, Christy. This is amazing! There are so many things to be done. . . ." They talked for quite sometime, until another idea popped in Christy's head.

"David, I have something I need to tend to."

"Anything I can help with?"

Christy shook her head. "No. Where should we keep the check?"

"I have a safe under my bed," David offered.

"Thank you, David. I will see you at supper," she said as she gave him the check.

Christy retreated to her room and placed the letters on her dresser. How she wished Neil was there, so that she could discuss her ideas with him. Well, she would see him tomorrow at church. . . .


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

"That was a good sermon," Neil commented as he and Christy took a stroll after the service the next day. "I particularly liked the verse: 'Have we not all one Father? Has not one God created us?' "

Christy nodded, "Malachi 2:10. Miss Alice recited that for Fairlight during one of her reading lessons."

"David delivered it well," Neil said.

"He did. I think his intentions were for everyone to see that in God's eyes, we are all equal."

Neil nodded, "Dan Scott."

"Yes. He hasn't been to a service yet," Christy said sadly.

"If David keeps indirectly showing them that we are all equal, they will come around."

"It just breaks my heart to see him treated like that." Christy nodded her head towards the gazebo. "Let's go sit there."

"But people have started to warm up to Dan. Jeb and Fairlight, the Allens."

"Yes, progress is being made, but ever so slowly."

Neil took her hand. "Everything will be all right. Now, you said you had something to discuss with me?"

Christy nodded. "But, first off, we need to get my parents' permission for you to court me. Why don't you call them?"

"Ah . . . I don't know…"

"Neil, you have nothing to worry about. My parents look favora­bly upon you, because of what you did for my Father."

"Is that the only reason they respect me?"

"Of course not. They respect you for your sacrifices to these people, what you have done for them, and what you've done for me," Christy said softly. "You have helped me grow in so many ways. My mother has seen that, she knows."

Neil smiled down at her, "Lass, you have no idea what _you've_ done for _me._"

"Oh, I might," Christy said teasingly. "But, yesterday, an idea came to me. I got a letter from Miss Alice, and my parents."

"You did?" Neil asked anxiously as they sat down under the gazebo.

"Yes. Miss Alice said that Margaret was in remission and doing fine. She also said that she would not be back to Cutter Gap until after Thanksgiving.

"My parents' letter said they were expecting me for Thanksgiving. They invited you to come with me, Neil."

"Me?" Neil was surprised.

"Yes. Don't look so astonished! I told you, they respect and admire you very much. Besides, even if they hadn't invited you, I would have. Please, come with me. I really want you to."

Neil was shocked, and delighted at Christy and her parents' offer. Did he really deserve to have someone like her?

"Well, I guess that I gladly accept."

Christy's face lit up. "Good! But that's not my idea that I wanted to discuss with you. You see, Margaret's treatment will end before Thanksgiving, but Miss Alice wants to celebrate with her. What if Miss Alice and Margaret joined all of us? Then you would be able to talk to Margaret." She waited apprehensively for Neil's response.

Though Neil had wanted to talk to Margaret, this was asking a lot of him. Neil closed his eyes and said a silent prayer before respond­ing, "It will be hard, Christy, but it has to be done. I will do it. God will guide me."

"Oh, Neil. I am so proud of you. I will write my parents, and Miss Alice." Christy flung her arms around him, never wanting to let go.

Back at the mission, Christy dialed her home in Asheville and then handed the telephone receiver to Neil. As it rang, she mouthed to him, "I love you."

He smiled and waited tensely for someone to answer. Christy then headed to the kitchen to ensue that Ruby Mae didn't interrupt Neil.

"Ruby Mae, are you fixing lunch today?"

"Yes'm. Mrs. Spencer showed me how ta make chicken an' onion casserole."

Christy smiled. "And she is the best teacher. That sounds wonderful. By the way, did Fairlight go home after the service?"

"Shore did."

Christy was relieved. Sunday was Fairlight's day off. Christy knew Fairlight would live at the mission if needed, but her husband and children needed her more.

"Christy," Neil said, stepping into the kitchen, "you're father wants to talk to you."

Walking over to him and dropping her voice, Christy asked, "What did they say?"

"Why don't you find out for yourself?" he smiled. As Christy walked to the telephone, she could hear Ruby Mae questioning Neil,

"You and Miss Christy gonna go a' courting and. . . ."

Christy chuckled and picked up the receiver.

"Hello, Daddy? Yes, I'm doing fine. Really? Oh, thank you!" Christy and Neil had her parents' approval to court! "Yes, of course. You don't know how happy I am! Well, yes, I suppose you do. Yes, Neil is quite the gentleman. I have a favor to ask." Christy took a deep breath and plunged in,

"You see, Miss Alice has been with Margaret in Knoxville during Margaret's tuberculosis treatment. Miss Alice won't be coming back to Cutter Gap until after Thanksgiving. I would like to invite both Miss Alice and Margaret to celebrate with us." There was a long pause. "Yes, Neil has agreed. In fact, he is in favor of it because he wants to talk to Margaret. It's really important to him. Yes. Oh, thank you! Yes, I will contact Miss Alice as soon as I can. All right. I love you, too. Good-bye."

Christy couldn't believe it. Her parents had agreed to let her and Neil court, and had liked the idea of Miss Alice and Margaret spending Thanksgiving with them.

Christy half-jogged back to the kitchen in excitement. "Oh, Neil, they agreed to let Miss Alice and Margaret celebrate with us!"

Neil was relieved. But could he trust that Margaret was a new person when he saw her again? After how he had been treated, could he face her? And, vice versa.

"Miss Alice and Miss Margaret are celebratin' somethin'?" Ruby Mae asked from the counter.

Christy had forgotten that Ruby Mae was there. "Yes, Ruby Mae, they are celebrating Thanksgiving." She motioned to the door and headed outside.

"You're parents agreed, Christy, but have you written to Alice about this?" Neil asked as they gazed out at the mountains from the deck.

"No, I plan to do that today."

"Christy, do you think she will accept?"

"Yes, I think Miss Alice will agree it is a wonderful idea."

"I mean Margaret."

Christy didn't answer this right away. Would the old Margaret reappear and refuse to talk to Neil? No, Christy honestly believed Margaret had changed. "Yes, I think she will come."

"Christy, I don't know if I can trust her. I don't want to be just thrown around and mocked," Neil said in doubt.

"Neil," Christy said, taking his hand, "you feel that you and Margaret should talk, right?"

He nodded.

"If it is God's will, it will happen. I've found that whenever in doubt, pray."

Neil smiled and pulled Christy close. "Thank you, lass." Then they both heard footsteps and broke away from each other. It was David.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Doctor, Christy, was I interrupting?"

"No, not at all," Christy smiled.

"So, Reverend, where are you headed for Thanksgiving?" Neil asked.

"Back home, to Boston. I just talked to Keri and Lindsey, too. They have decided to stay here," David said.

Christy was shocked. "They are staying here, alone?"

"Oh, no. The McHones invited them to spend Thanksgiving over there."

"Really? I'm happy to hear that," Christy said. Suddenly, an­other problem hit Christy: Ruby Mae.

"David, where is Ruby Mae spending Thanksgiving."

David's face fell, "Nowhere."

"Christy, why don't we take Ruby Mae with us when we leave?" Neil suggested.

Christy hesitated. She didn't want to have to put up with Ruby Mae's incessant chatter and tagging along. Then Christy thought how she would feel if she had no family.

"That is a good idea, Neil. I'm sure my mother and father won't mind."

David grinned, "I wish you luck. It should be interesting."

"I just hope I don't regret it," Christy said.

Neil looked at her admiringly and winked. "You won't, I'll make sure."

David chuckled, "Won't you join us for lunch, Doctor?"

"Certainly, thank you." He offered Christy his arm. "May I es­cort you to lunch, Miss Huddleston?"

"Of course." As they entered the kitchen, they were greeted by an enticing smell. _Thank goodness for Fairlight's cooking instruction_, Christy thought.

"Ruby Mae, that smells wonderful," David said.

She blushed, "Thank ye, Preacher."

"Ruby Mae, Doctor MacNeill and I are going to my home in Asheville for Thanksgiving. Miss Alice and Margaret will be joining us," Christy said to the redhead.

Ruby Mae looked back at Christy quizzically. "Uhh . . . that's right nice," she said, turning back to her casserole.

"Ruby Mae, would you like to come with us?"

Ruby Mae dropped the fork she was holding in shock.

"Really, Miss Christy? Ya mean I could go with ye and see all them fancified stores with them purty dresses—"

"Yes, Ruby Mae," Christy interrupted.

Ruby Mae ran from the counter and grabbed Christy in a hug. Neil and David chuckled. "Oh, I won't be no trouble at all! I'll even holp ye 'round the house and—"

"Ruby Mae," Neil broke in, "I am hungry as a bear, and can't wait to try your casserole. Is it ready yet?"

"Shore is, Doc. Come an' set down. I got it all ready," Ruby Mae answered, forgetting about her trip to Asheville for only a moment.

"Thank you, Lord, for this beautiful Sunday day that you have given us. Thank you for this wonderful, wholesome food that Ruby Mae has prepared for us. Let each one of us find joy in this day, and each other," David prayed.

"Amen," everyone murmured.

David took the first bite of Ruby Mae's anticipated casserole. "Ruby Mae, this is the best thing you have ever cooked."

"Thank ye. Mrs. Spencer told me how ta make it."

Throughout the rest of the meal, they discussed the crops of the Cove and what was happening in the surrounding areas, with Ruby Mae's occasional addition of Cove gossip.

Suddenly Christy piped in, "David, where are Lindsey and Keri? They could have joined us for lunch."

"They are at the Spencers'."

"Looks like people are starting to accept them," Neil said.

"Yes, I hope that when they start building that people will want to help." Christy looked at her clean plate and said to Ruby Mae, "Ruby Mae, that was excellent. Thank you very much."

"Yer welcome," Ruby Mae said shyly.

"Yes, thank you," Neil said as he stood up. "Well, I'd best be going. Good sermon, Reverend."

"Thank you, Doctor. I expect I will be seeing you again very soon," David teased.

"I suppose so," Neil said, gazing at Christy. Christy followed him out the door and to his horse.

"I'll write Miss Alice right now. Don't worry, it will all work out."

"Thank you, Christy." Neil leaned down and kissed her, only to hear giggling in the background. "Ruby Mae," he growled softly.

Christy laughed. "Good-bye, Neil. I love you."

"I love you, too, lass."

Up in her room, Christy sat down with paper and pen and wrote Miss Alice:

Dear Miss Alice,

I was so delighted to receive your letter. So much has hap­pened since you left. Keri traveled to Asheville to buy the land in Low Gap and returned with a deed, as well as a friend: Lindsey Ramsey, an old friend of Lindsey's who is going to stay and help her with the horses. Come spring, they plan to construct their build­ings, and are temporarily living in a cabin they discovered on their land.

We also received a large donation sent by an anonymous donor to my church in Asheville. They then sent the money to us. We received $500! David is keeping it in a safe under his bed.

But perhaps the happiest thing that has happened is that Neil has been saved. He was caught in a dangerous situation that caused him to turn to God, and a miracle took place. With the help of Aunt Hattie, Neil was saved. Neil and I have also professed our feelings to each other. We have gotten my par­ents' permission to court and will be happily doing so soon.

I am eternally glad that you and Margaret are having a wonderful time together, and that she is in remission. I am also happy to know that you are planning to celebrate Thanksgiving together. Neil, Ruby Mae, and I will be going to my home in Asheville, and I would like to invite you and Margaret to join us. Neil feels that he should talk to Margaret as soon as he can. My parents would be glad to have you. Please, respond quickly. I know Neil will be waiting anxiously, as will I. God be with you.

Christy Huddleston

As Christy folded and sealed the letter, she hoped beyond hope that Miss Alice would receive the letter in time and Margaret would agree to come, and talk to Neil.

As the days to Thanksgiving narrowed, Neil and Christy spent them in happy courtship. They frequently went to Neil's cave and spent hours talking and exploring every inch of it. Neil and Christy also went on many walks and rides while the weather was still warm.

The days only started to get cold during the last few weeks before Neil, Christy, and Ruby Mae were to leave. It was on these cold days that Neil and Christy "courted" inside. Sometimes they read, lis­tened (and danced) to music, or planned for things to come.

One especially cold day, only three days before they were to leave for Asheville, Christy sat at the piano playing the "Moonlight Sonata." During the cold days, Christy had practiced the song and had become quite accomplished in playing it. The fact that Mr. Harland had played the very same song that fateful day so long ago no longer tor­mented Christy.

As she struck the final notes (which by now had been memo­rized) Christy glanced out the window to see snow falling in huge, fat flakes. She smiled. _The song sure fits this day_.

A knock on the door startled Christy and caused her to miss a note. She opened the door to find a certain doctor coated in snowflakes.

"Hello, lass," Neil said.

Christy put on a straight face. "Good afternoon, Dr. MacNeill, and what can I do for you today?"

"Well. . . ." Neil said, causing Christy to blush.

"Neil, aren't you cold?" she asked, adverting her eyes from his.

"I hadn't noticed."

Christy smiled. "Come, have a cup of tea by the fire with me."

"Certainly."

"Neil," Christy asked as they sat down with the steaming cups, "are we going to make it to El Pano?"

Neil nodded as he took a sip. "Yes, 'tis only a light snowfall, at the moment."

"Good," Christy breathed.

"By the way, where are David and Fairlight?" Neil inquired.

"David left yesterday for Boston, and I sent Fairlight home, since it's now only Ruby Mae and I."

"Miss Christy," Ruby Mae said as she popped in the doorway, "I got a letter that come for ya 'bout nigh a week ago. I kinda fergot ta give it ta ye."

Christy was just about to yell at Ruby Mae when she thought of what might have happened if the letter had been forgotten altogether.

Christy took a deep breath. "Thank you, Ruby Mae. Now why don't you go and finish your packing for our trip."

"Shore," and then she disappeared to her room.

Neil waited anxiously as Christy opened the letter. "It's from Miss Alice," she said. Then she started to read the letter aloud:

" 'Dearest Christy,

Margaret and I would be overjoyed to celebrate with you, your family, and Neil. And, of course, Ruby Mae. We will be arriving at the Asheville station the afternoon before Thanksgiving. I hope we will be able to meet there.

Christy, thou art like a daughter to me, and Neil a son. I am happy beyond words about Neil's newfound faith, and about thy love for each other.

I am sorry this was so short; we will have much to dis­cuss when we meet. God Bless.

Alice Henderson'."

"Oh, thank You, Lord," Neil said. "I am so glad they agreed. The fact that Margaret alone agreed shows me that she is making a sincere effort to try and sort things out."

Christy went over to Neil and hugged him. Words could not express how happy she was for him. Neil had changed so much. And she had never loved him more for it. They broke their embrace and gazed outside. It was no longer snowing.

"Lass, let's go for a little ride, just up to the hill overlooking the mission."

"That sounds wonderful, Neil."

Minutes later, they sat atop Charlie overlooking the mission. Everything was thinly coated in a beautiful silver white.

As Neil rested his chin upon Christy's head, his eyes were drawn like a magnet to the rolling peaks. Apparently, the storm had taken to the distant mountains and had turned their smoky blue to gray.

Christy was also looking at the mountains. "Isn't it beautiful? The snow that mists the mountains reminds me of our ride in the fog that one day."

Neil nodded. "And some ride it was. The fog didn't fade you out Christy, it just illuminated your beauty all the more."

Christy inhaled sharply. What a beautiful thing he had said to her. No matter how many times he wooed her in his poetic way, the rush of love she felt for him only got stronger.

For many beautiful moments, the two lovers were lost in the mountains.

The morning dimness caused Christy to trip over her bag as she shifted out of bed. She fell with a thud, only to have a bodacious red­head pop into her room and say,

"Lordy, Teacher! Are ya hurt?"

"No, Ruby Mae. Would you mind fixing us something warm to eat before we leave?"

"Shore. It'll be ready in no time a'tall.

Christy groaned and struggled to get up. Today was the day they left for Asheville, and what a way to start it.

She silently got dressed and picked up her bag to set next to Ruby Mae's. Apparently, Ruby Mae had been up for quite sometime. Christy headed to the kitchen and was greeted by the smell of burnt bacon and coffee.

Christy sat down. "Ruby Mae, are you sure you have all your things packed and ready?"

"Yes'm. I checked ever'thing over three whole times."

Christy nodded, suppressing a grin. A moment later, the wonder­ful coffee appeared in front of her accompanied by some charred bacon. Ruby Mae sat down across from Christy with her own food.

"Sorry hit's burnt," she said guiltily.

"Oh, no. It's fine."

Ruby Mae glanced around the table. "Shore is lonely, with the Preacher and Mrs. Spencer bein' gone an' all."

"It is. But that will all change once we are in Asheville."

"I cain't hardly wait! Tell me, what are them—"

"Good morning, ladies," Neil said as he entered the kitchen. Christy jumped.

"Neil, you scared me! I didn't hear you come in."

"Well, maybe this will un-scare you," he said as he gave her a kiss on the cheek. Ruby Mae giggled.

"Neil. . . ." Christy hissed.

He chuckled. "Are we all ready to leave?"

"I believe so," Christy said.

"The horses are outside. Do you think you can ride Prince, Ruby Mae?" Neil asked.

"Shore. Me an' Prince gits along right good."

"That's fine. We'd best be leavin' now, though," Neil said, anxious to start out.

"Neil, don't you want anything warm to eat before we leave? It looks to be pretty cold out there," Christy said as she stood up and looked out at the window, where miniature snowflakes could be seen falling to the ground.

"I'll be fine," he winked.

Christy smiled as she picked up her bag. "Well, all right."

As they rode through the brisk air, Christy turned her thoughts to Dan Scott. Neil told her he would be spending the holiday with Aunt Hattie, but Christy wished Dan had been invited by another family to celebrate with them, as Lindsey and Keri had. Christy knew how long it had taken her to be accepted by at least a few of the mountain families. She couldn't imagine how hard it was for Dan. Christy's thoughts were interrupted by Ruby Mae's voice,

"Miss Christy, Miss Christy!"

"What's wrong Ruby Mae?" Christy asked with alarm as she brought herself back to reality.

"I jest noticed somethin'. Lookee here: yer a ridin' in the back, me in the middle, an' the doc in the front."

Christy was puzzled. "Yes . . . and what did you notice?"

"Wall, yer horse is Bonnie, mine is Prince, and Doc MacNeill's is Charlie. Ya see? Bonnie Prince Charlie!"

Christy smiled, "Ruby Mae, you are amazing. I never realized that."

Neil chuckled. "That is a very good observation."

The rest of the way to El Pano, Ruby Mae talked frenziedly. As they boarded the train, Christy felt like curling up in a ball and dis­appearing. Neil noticed this with concern as he sat down beside her.

"Christy, you look pale. Are you all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine. But, please, remind me next time to bring cot­ton to put in my ears."

Neil grinned. "That Ruby Mae is a talker. When she was born, I'd never heard such a holler."

"Did ye say my name?" Ruby Mae asked as she sat down across from Neil and Christy.

"I was just telling Dr. MacNeill how much I thought you would enjoy the Asheville stores," Christy said.

Ruby Mae looked out the window dreamily. "It jest plumb mesmerizes me. . . ."

For a while, Ruby Mae avidly chatted about what a wonder the train was. But after an hour, she quieted down and nodded off.

Neil smiled. "Looks like you won't be needing the cotton right now."

"At least for a few seconds." Christy paused, gazing at some boxes in the back of the car. "Neil, have you used any of your money?"

Neil winced. "Actually, I have forgotten about it. Just the other day, I had to send a patient away without any medicine because I was almost out, and knew I couldn't afford to order more for quite sometime."

Christy laughed. "I also forgot about the mission hav­ing. . . ." Suddenly, she remembered that in having forgot the mission had money to spend, she had also forgotten to tell Neil the wonderful news.

"What did you forget, Christy?"

"Well, you remember the day we declared our love for each other?"

Neil took Christy's hand in his. "How could I ever forget?"

"When I got back to the mission, I had three letters. Two of those were from Miss Alice and my parents, but the other one was from my church in Asheville. Someone had anonymously sent money to my church, asking that it be forwarded to the mission."

"Really?" Neil answered nonchalantly. "With $500, you could sure do a lot," he said absently, oblivious to the fact that he had given himself away.

"Wait . . . Neil, how did you know how much money the mission received?" Christy asked curiously.

"I ah . . . I just took a lucky guess," Neil stumbled, just then realiz­ing what he had said.

"Neil, did someone tell you about this? Does anyone else know?" Christy asked, a bit worriedly. If anyone knew about the money, jealously that involved bloodshed would quickly surface.

"Oh, no. No one else knows."

"Then how did you know?"

"Like I said, a lucky guess."

Ruby Mae stirred in her sleep, and Christy lowered her voice, "Did you have anything to do with this? Did you donate the money?"

"What! Of course not. Why do you think that?"

"Neil, you told me the exact amounts you were placing in the bank, and you left $500 out. You hesitated when you said that it would be sent to you. Why would you need $500 for yourself when there is nowhere to spend it? It doesn't make sense."

Neil laughed at her determined expression. "All, right, Miss Huddleston, you caught me. I _did_ donate the money."

"But why did you not want anyone to know you had donated it?" Christy asked.

"If people knew that _I_ had donated that much money to the mission, they would become suspicious, and that would result in raids of my cabin, along with my laboratory. People would probably think that my laboratory was piled high with silver and gold," he laughed.

"So you anonymously donated it so no one would know," Christy finished.

"Right. Christy, did you tell anyone else about the money?"

"No, I didn't. I kind of figured you wanted it kept secret."

Neil heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank you, lass."

Christy turned her head to the window and her eyes to the gor­geous scenery. The sun had set the hundreds of bare trees that were coated with ice to sparkling. It took Christy's breath away. Where the trees were positioned didn't matter. As long as the sun was able to reach them, they could shine.

Neil was also gazing out the window. He whispered to Christy, "You are like those trees, lass. No matter where you are placed, the sun can shine on you and make you shimmer."


	14. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

As the train pulled into the Asheville station, Christy searched for familiar faces in the crowd. Finally, she saw her family, and, to her relief, Miss Alice and Margaret. Margaret had kept her word.

Once off the train, Christy, Neil, and Ruby Mae made their way through the crowd to Christy's parents, Miss Alice, and Margaret. Christy literally had to drag Ruby Mae along, who was in complete awe of her surroundings.

"Christy? Child, is that you?" Miss Alice called out as they approached.

Christy ran to Miss Alice's embrace, disregarding any thoughts of propriety. "Oh, Miss Alice! I have missed you so much. I am glad you could meet us here. We were lucky to get trains that arrived here at the same time."

"We certainly were. God's hand was in this. It should be a joyous holiday," Miss Alice said as she released Christy.

Turning from Miss Alice, Christy greeted her parents. "Mother, Daddy, I'm so happy to see you! How have you been? Where's George?"

"We have been quite well, Christy. George is at home. How are you doing?" Julia asked, giving her daughter a gentle hug.

"Wonderfully. You remember Ruby Mae, don't you?"

"Why, of course. She's that beautiful young woman with the red hair," William said, winking at Christy. Ruby Mae, who was standing beside Christy, blushed and said,

"Pleased ta see ye again, Mr. Huddleston."

Margaret, who had been watching everyone else greet each other, walked up to Neil and stuck out her hand.

"Mac, ah, Neil, how have you been?"

Neil turned towards her. With a deep breath, and a silent prayer, he shakily put out his own hand. "Margaret. I'm fine. How are you?"

"In remission. I feel quite well."

"That is good." They stood several moments in awkward si­lence until Margaret said,

"Ma—Neil, we have to talk. I have so much to say."

Neil nodded and said softly to her, "So do I. Margaret, you may call me Mac. I don't mind. It reminds me of happy times," Neil surprised himself with this comment. But, Margaret's pet name truly did remind him of happy times.

Margaret smiled. "All right."

At the Huddleston's home, George greeted his sister with a warm hug and introduced himself to Miss Alice and Margaret. When he saw Ruby Mae, he was dumbfounded.

"Ah . . . hello," he said. "I'm George. George Huddleston."

Ruby Mae smiled. "I'm Ruby Mae Morrison."

Christy grinned at her brother's interest in Ruby Mae. "Ruby Mae, you will be sharing my room with me. Why don't we take your things up there?"

"Shore, Miss Christy." As they trekked through the house and up to Christy's room, Ruby Mae was speechless. "Miss Christy, this is the purtiest house I ever did see."

"Thank you, Ruby Mae. But our house is far from the fanciest in Asheville. My friend Lance's house is . . . is. . . ." Christy searched for the right words to describe it.

"Jest the most wondrous, awesomeable thing ye ever seen?" Ruby Mae finished.

Christy smiled. "Yes, Ruby Mae. It is that." They had now reached Christy's room. Ruby Mae set her things down and wandered over to the window looking out over the garden. Though everything was covered with frost, it was still quite breathtaking. Ruby Mae sighed.

"Miss Christy, I ain't got no words ta 'scribe the beauty here. Why'd ye leave this ta come ta Cutter Gap?"

Christy wasn't prepared to answer this question. She thought for a long while before she haltingly tried to explain. "Well, have you ever wanted to sing like a bird?"

"Shore. I love them ones that sing at night, when the other birds are a sleepin'."

"But you can't sing like it, can you?" Ruby Mae shook her head. Christy continued, "You can buy all sorts of whistles and make your own to try and sound like the bird, but no matter how hard you try, you just can't sing like the bird. You can make some pretty tunes, but nothing compares to the bird's song. Its song comes straight from its soul."

"What er ye gittin' at, Miss Christy?"

"I'm saying that life in Cutter Gap is like the bird's song. Yes, it is hard, but the good there sings strong and true. Like friendship, true happiness, and love."

"You be talkin' 'bout the doc?" Ruby Mae asked, giving a little giggle.

Christy smiled. "Yes."

"Waal, you said Cutter Gap life was like the singin' of the bird, but what 'bout life here in Asheville?"

"Life here is nice and pretty, but the things like friendship are not as complete and meaningful as they are in Cutter Gap. Don't get me wrong; there are many good things here. People do a lot everyday to help others and make them happy. Do you get what I'm saying?"

"I think so. I love livin' in the Cove, but I shore do get ta han­kerin' fer some of the pretty things you have."

"Well," Christy smiled, "I think we can get you a few pretty things to take back. In fact, I have some nice dresses you could wear to dinner that may just fit you."

Ruby Mae gave a shining smile. "Really? I would shorely like that."

"Christy, Ruby Mae," Julia Huddleston said as she entered the room, "before we start dinner, William would like to take everyone on a walk through the garden and pond.

"Isn't it a little cold for that?"

"Well, yes, but you know your father."

"All right. Ruby Mae, would you like to see our pond?"

"I would be right honored, Miss Christy."

"Good, let's go."

In the garden, Neil and Christy walked side-by-side, talking of things that were only of interest to themselves. Miss Alice brightly told Julia how proud she was of Christy, for upholding the mission while she was gone. George and Ruby Mae talked of what the city of Asheville was really like and Margaret trailed behind Neil and Christy.

She looked at the two lovers with sadness and longing for what might have been. Christy noticed Margaret's gloom and excused herself to talk with her. Neil nodded and headed to catch up with William, who was at the front of the group.

"Margaret, I haven't had the chance to ask about you. How are you doing?" Christy asked

"Oh, just fine. Did mother tell you of the play I am in?" Margaret smiled.

"Just that you had landed the lead role. What is the play about?"

"It's about a young women who ventures out west where the cowboys and cattle rule. She falls in love with a handsome cowboy, only to discover that he is wanted for murder. The young woman re­minds me you, Christy."

Christy chuckled, "I guess if I could survive Cutter Gap, I could survive the Wild West."

"You are quite happy with Neil, are you not?" Margaret sighed.

"I am, happier than I ever have been," Christy said honestly.

"Some days I desperately wish I would have stayed with him. I wonder if things would have ever worked out."

"Oh, Margaret, they have. Just maybe in not the way you wished. Would you have wanted to stay in Cutter Gap forever? If you had known that theater was your calling? There are not many theater opportunities in Cutter Gap."

"No," Margaret laughed, "there are not."

"Margaret, if there is to be someone special in your life, God will put them there in His time."

Margaret took Christy's hand. "Yes, He will." Then, with a parting smile, she proceeded to catch up with Miss Alice.

Christy was taken aback by Margaret's last comment. Had she accepted Jesus Christ? Christy deeply hoped that she had. Margaret needed Jesus more than anyone right now.

A few hours later, after dinner, as Julia, Ruby Mae, and George were cleaning up, Margaret took Neil aside.

"Could we talk now? Do you mind?"

Neil smiled at his former wife. "Now sounds like a good idea." He caught Christy's eye as they walked off into the parlor. She gave him a reassuring smile and nodded her agreement.

Miss Alice who was sitting on the couch in the living room with Christy, gazed after her daughter proudly.

"Margaret has changed so much. Christy, just a few days ago, Margaret was saved," Miss Alice said with a beaming smile.

Christy smiled, "I thought so."

"Why did thee think that?" Miss Alice inquired.

"Oh, from some comments that she made to me. When we talked, she had a certain Assurance about her."

"Ah, Miss Huddleston. Thou art very perceptive. Tell me, exactly how was Neil saved?"

Christy grew more and more joyful as she recounted to Miss Alice the miracle Neil had witnessed, their talks, his first visit to church, and finally, his telling Christy of his conversion. Christy wondered if she should also tell Miss Alice that Neil had been the one to donate the money to the mission, but decided not to without his consent. She only hoped Miss Alice would not bring it up.

"Christy, thou art so happy. I can tell."

"Yes, Miss Alice, I am. But tell me, how did Margaret come about to be saved?"

Miss Alice's face lit up. "When I first arrived in Knoxville to meet Margaret, I could see a change in her. She wasn't haughty, and gave a sincere effort to be friends with me. But, as much as she had overcome, she was still stubborn about God. Margaret could not see why God would love her, because of the circumstances of her birth. I believe when Margaret looked at my life, she could not see why God let such bad things happen to me as they did. But, oh, she doesn't know the joys!

"One day, during a play rehearsal, Margaret's new friend, Lilly, was practicing a stunt for the show. Lilly Marlin. She was such an influence on Margaret. They met at a local church social that Margaret and I had decided to go to. From then on, they were quite close.

"But, anyway, that day, the ropes that were holding some of the larger props up snapped when Lilly accidentally ran into them during her stunt practice. Lilly was crushed from her abdomen down. Marga­ret was the first one at Lilly's side, and knew she was going to die. Lilly's final words were, 'Maggie, don't worry about me. I know where I'm going. God is waiting for me. Promise me; promise me that you will trust Him. Promise me…' and then she left, with Margaret crying by her side." Miss Alice paused, closing her eyes and wiping them of their tears. Christy herself had tears in her eyes, and retrieved her hand­kerchief to dry them.

"Oh, Miss Alice. How sad. Margaret must have been heartbro­ken."

"Margaret was miserable. But the one thing that stuck in her mind was what Lilly had told her, about trusting God."

Just then, William Huddleston walked into the living room. "Christy, would you let Dr. MacNeill know that I would like to talk to him? I will be in the library."

"Of course," Christy replied. Miss Alice smiled at William and then continued with Margaret's story.

"As much as she wanted to blame it on God, Margaret just could not erase that look of peace that flooded Lilly's face before she died. It was a few days after the accident that Margaret came to me, asking that I read her some passages from the bible. I didn't pressure her, and it was not long until she asked me how she could have the peace that Lilly had. She admitted her sins and accepted God's free gift. Christy, I have never seen anyone glow more or be happier when they were saved than Margaret was that day."

Christy wiped a tear from her eye. "I am overjoyed, Miss Alice."

Miss Alice and Christy turned at the sound of a squeaking door. Margaret and Neil emerged from the parlor, both with smiles, and slightly red eyes.

"Neil, my father wants to see you. He is in the library," Christy said, pointing towards the back of the house. Margaret winked at him, and he clasped her hand and squeezed it, before heading towards the library.

Margaret moved to sit across from Miss Alice, and smiled at Christy. Christy returned the smile, rejoicing in the fact that Margaret was a new person. As Christy looked at the new Margaret, compared to the old, she wondered what Neil's feelings were for her now that they had talked. If Neil had fallen in love with Margaret long ago, could he again? And this time, stay in love? Christy shook herself out of her thoughts and started to listen to what Margaret was saying.

". . . I am so happy that Neil has come to God, and has forgiven me. Oh, Mother, if only it had been like this when we met. . . ."

Christy's face turned white. They had shared the same thought.

Margaret, seeing the schoolteacher's face, asked, "Miss Huddleston, are you all right?"

"Oh, yes, I'm fine. Just tired." Christy knew Margaret didn't buy it, but she didn't care. Sensing that the two women needed to talk, Miss Alice stood up.

"I think I'll go see if any help is needed in the kitchen."

Christy smiled. "I think that is a wise choice; Ruby Mae is in there."

Alice laughed. "Thou art right, Miss Huddleston."

Margaret looked to Christy and said softly, "Thank you, Christy."

"What for, Margaret?"

"For everything. For—for making me see that I did need Mother and Neil. For guiding me to God."

Christy was stunned, "Guiding you to God? I don't think we've ever had a complete conversation that didn't involve insults!"

Margaret laughed. "Quite true. But, I think before I myself even realized it, I was jealous of you. Of what you stood for. Your in­nocence. Your faith. I guess as time went on, I wanted what you had. That was God. So, yes, Christy, by setting an example, you helped guide me to God."

Christy felt honored, and humbled somewhat. She had never realized how much her actions spoke to others. Even if people like the 'old' Margaret, had no respect whatsoever for her, they still noticed her actions. Christy knew she would have to set an even better example for the Cove people.

"Margaret, you also helped me." With this comment, Margaret lit up.

"Me? Little old wretched me?"

"Oh, Margaret. You are a new person in God's eyes."

"Yes, Mother has been pounding that into my head, 'If we con­fess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us _our_ sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.' "

"That is good. Margaret, when you came back, a first and sec­ond time, you made me realize I had feelings for Neil. The only thing was, you being alive, I could not pursue a relationship with Neil. If I did, I would no longer be living in the Cove!"

Margaret cringed. "I know that God forgives and forgets all our sins when we confess them to Him and are sorry for them, but as a human, I cannot forget the awful sins that I committed. What I did to Neil and Mother, what I did to my reputation. . . ."

"Margaret, you don't have to go on," Christy stopped her.

Margaret wiped a tear from her eye and nodded. "I know you are wondering what Neil and I talked about—"

"No, it's none of my business."

"Oh, but it is. We have forgiven each other and have chosen to remain friends and correspond often, if that is all right with you," Margaret said with a sly smile.

"Why would it matter if it was all right with me?" Christy asked.

Margaret chuckled. "Christy, whatever concerns Neil, concerns you also," she stuck up a hand to stop Christy from speaking. "I once said to Mac, I mean Neil, that when we were wed, I had never seen a man so much in love. Christy, his love for you is much, much deeper than anything he might have felt for me. You yourselves will wed one day. One day soon."

Christy blushed and whispered, "I do hope so. And Margaret, I don't mind if you call Neil 'Mac.' I guess that will always be your name for him." Margaret nodded, and they shared a smile between themselves that reflected the emotions in another room. . . .

Neil had entered the library to find William Huddleston behind a newspaper and the aroma of strong coffee floating through the air. William looked up.

"Dr. MacNeill? How are you doing?"

"Just fine. I could ask the same of you. Any complications?"

William smiled at the doctor's side of Neil. "I'm doing quite well. My daughter told me that I would have to give her away at her wedding. Any clue as to when that would be?" he chuckled.

In one of those rare moments, Neil was speechless. "Ah . . . " Neil finally found his footing and said, "The truth is, William, I love Christy more than life itself. I would like to ask for her hand, if she'd have me. I cannot offer her much in Cutter Gap. But, I promise, if Christy would ever want to leave, no matter what I had to do in the Cove, I would go with her."

"I have no doubt that you would. But, Neil, I must know; have you accepted Christ?"

"Yes. Yes, I have," Neil said proudly. He joyfully recounted his saving to William, who listened with relief and happiness.

"Neil, how long have you been courting Christy?"

"A little over a month, I believe."

"That is not very long to court before approaching marriage," William said.

"Aye, you are right. I have courted her for only a little over a month, but have loved her for a year," Neil said softly.

William smiled. "I see. When do you plan to ask for her hand?"

"I have been thinking on this for quite sometime. To respect proprieties, I would like to court her until Christmas. It would be then that I would like to propose to her."

William nodded and smiled. A Christmas Proposal. He knew his Little Miss would be overjoyed. "Neil MacNeill, I give you and Christy my blessing upon your future marriage. And Julia agrees as well. You know, she and Christy had many a good talks while Christy was here awhile ago."

Neil clasped William's hand. "Thank you, William."

William smiled. "May God richly bless you."


	15. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

The next day, Thanksgiving, dawned crisp and bright. The frost from days before had been strengthened by a midnight snowfall.

Christy was awakened from her slumber when a loud "ping" radiated from her window. At first, she thought it was Ruby Mae play­ing a trick on her, but Ruby Mae was already up.

The "ping," was followed by several others. _What in the world?_ Christy wondered. Then, she smiled with realization. Christy hopped out of her bed and pulled on her robe. She rushed to the window and threw it open, disregarding any thought to propriety. She knew who was down there.

Neil had positioned himself below Christy's window and was tossing pebbles up at it. "Oh, my bonnie lass, please come down," he said in mock princely fashion.

Christy chuckled, "My Bonnie Prince Neil, I will be down in a moment."

Neil met her at the bottom of the stairs a few minutes later. "'Bonnie Prince Neil,' ey?"

"'Bonnie Lass?' " Christy smiled as she stepped off the stairs and onto the plush carpet.

"Aye. Happy Thanksgiving. I know I have much to be thank­ful for," he said as he offered her is arm.

"As do I," she said softly, taking his arm.

The kitchen was in a flurry of excitement, though Thanksgiving dinner had a long way to go before it was ready.

Christy almost burst out laughing when she saw Ruby Mae. The girl had tried to start making some bread, and apparently, her use of flour had gotten out of hand, Ruby Mae's red hair had turned to a dusty orange.

"Mornin' Miss Christy. Ye have a good sleep?"

"Yes, I did Ruby Mae. That bread looks, uh, wonderful."

Julia Huddleston, looking a bit disgusted, motioned to the only flour-free part of the kitchen and said to Christy, "Your breakfast is over there."

"Am I the only one to have not eaten yet?" Christy asked, a bit ashamed, as she grabbed the food.

Julia scowled, "Yes, dear. I understand you were dreadfully tired and needed your _beauty rest_, but it is quite late. I was about to come wake you up myself."

"I'm sorry," Christy said somewhat guiltily. But Neil's whis­pered comment, "I like to be the one to wake my lass up anyway," brought a smile and a blush to her face.

"Mother, where are Margaret, Miss Alice, and Daddy?" Christy asked.

"They went to pick out a turkey at the market."

"You didn't get one yesterday?"

"Well, of course not! We were too busy preparing for every­one," Julia said defensively.

Christy knew to back off. Her mother was in one of "those" moods.

Throughout the rest of the morning and afternoon, Christy, Ruby Mae, Julia, Miss Alice, and Margaret slaved over the Thanksgiving dinner. In reality, Miss Alice and Christy's mother ended up doing most of the cooking, as Ruby Mae, Christy, and Margaret soon discovered they were more of a hindrance than help. William and Neil happily agreed to stay out of the kitchen. They spent their time in the library.

George, on the other hand, was not content to stay in the li­brary. Christy caught him more than once peeking in the kitchen, star­ing at Ruby Mae.

Hours later, as the final touches were put on the table, Christy sighed as she gazed upon the prepared food. All of it could feed every person in the Cove, with left­overs. Christy knew she would never take food for granted again.

Turning from the food, she glanced at the mantle clock; twenty minutes until seven o'clock, when they were to eat.

Just then, Ruby Mae bounded up to Christy in her ever-excited manner.

"Miss Christy! Ain't it wondrous! Why, this much food could keep everyone as fat as a pig fer months!"

Christy was exhausted, and did not know how much of Ruby Mae's chatter she could stand.

"Ruby Mae, why don't we go find a dress for you real quick?"

"Ya mean, I'm not gonna wear the dress I wore last night?" Ruby Mae asked, astonished.

Christy smiled, "No, not unless you want to."

Once Christy had a dress for Ruby Mae, she searched for some­thing herself. Finally deciding on a plain rose-colored dress, Christy proceeded to see how Ruby Mae was doing.

Ruby Mae stood in front of the mirror in Christy's parents' bedroom. The deep green satin complimented Ruby Mae's hair quite well.

"Miss Christy?" Ruby Mae asked shyly. "You think yer brother George will like ma dress?"

Christy smiled. "Ruby Mae, he will love it."

As they sat down at the table, and Christy looked around at the faces shining with love, she wondered how everything could have turned out so well. Based upon the mess at the schoolhouse two months earlier, Christy would have never thought it would turn out like this.

Christy looked at Neil. She could tell he was thinking the same thing.

They joined hands and bowed their heads in prayer as William thanked the Lord,

"Heavenly Father, we all have so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving Day. We thank you for the beautiful love you have be­stowed upon Neil and Christy, and for the wonderful mending of human hearts you have done. Thank you, Lord, and may this rich food that our fellow ladies have so lovingly prepared nourish our bodies. In Christ's name, Amen."

"Amen," they all murmured.

Christy raised her eyes upward and whispered another silent prayer of thanks to God. Just a moment ago, she had been wondering how it could have all turned out so well, but she was not wondering any more. She knew. God. God had healed everything.

The meal was well worth the work; everyone loved it. Ruby Mae even had many encouraging comments from her bread.

But, throughout the meal, Christy could not rid the thought of the surplus of food at her table compared to the meager of­ferings on her friends' tables in the Cove. These thoughts made Christy feel guilty, and she could no longer eat.

Neil, who had been watching Christy's every move, noticed that she was toying with her food instead of eating it.

"Christy?" he asked gently, "Is everything all right?"

She looked up. "Of course." But seeing his compassionate gaze brought tears to her eyes. "Please excuse me." Christy pushed her chair back and rushed to the back door. She needed some fresh air.

Everyone exchanged worried glances, and Julia stood up to follow her daughter, as did Neil. Miss Alice stopped them.

"I think I know what is wrong; let me talk to her."

They nodded, and Miss Alice briskly walked to the back door and went out of the house.

Christy was sitting on the back steps, crying.

"Child, thee does not need to feel guilty about thy life here," Miss Alice said, placing a hand on Christy's shoulder.

"Miss Alice, how did you know?" Christy asked, wiping her tear-streaked face.

"Ah, Christy, I have spent many a nights distressing over this myself. I would ask God why He gave these people so little and others so much."

"Why did He? Does He care about the mountain people at all?" Christy asked.

"He does indeed care for them, if they will only let Him in. That is our job, Christy as missionaries. We must show people that God loves them."

"But why do they have so little?" Christy cried.

"Christy, I cannot answer that. But, I can share with them what I have."

"How do you do that?" Christy asked. "You can't just bring loads of food to them; they won't take it."

"No," Miss Alice smiled, "but you can share with them in other ways. Like the turkey shoot we had last year; I gave them the idea and they were able to get a surplus of game. Perhaps thee could share reci­pes with them or traditions that would reap a multitude of goods."

The wheels started turning in Christy's head. Perhaps they could organize other contests and. . . .

Miss Alice chuckled, "Thou art thinking—good. Come now, let's go back before your thinking freezes out here."

Christy smiled and nodded, "All right."

All eyes were on Christy as she returned to her seat and started to eat. Christy stared at the food on her plate; but this time, was not flooded with guilt or sadness. Instead, thankfulness for what she had and her ability to share it stole through her heart.

An hour later, as everything was being cleaned up, Neil took Christy aside.

"Lass, everything has been so hectic we haven't had a chance to talk. Would you take a stroll with me in the garden?"

"I'd love to." Christy glanced at her mother, who nodded.

"Neil, if you don't mind my asking, how was your talk with Margaret?" Christy asked as they strolled about the garden.

"I don't mind. It went quite well. We both were deeply sorry for what we did to each other, and admitted that we had no right to be together. There are no hard feelings, Christy. We rejoiced in our new-found faith, and in the fact that we are both happy with our lives."

"I am so glad. I never would have even dreamed it would turn out like this."

"Aye, and I thank God everyday for what He has done," Neil said softly as he leaned down and kissed her.

They pulled apart at the sound of voices on the other side of the garden. Christy recognized Ruby Mae's voice and also . . . George's?

Christy motioned for Neil to follow her and took off on a path through the garden known only to her.

They crouched behind some cattails, now frozen, and strained to hear what was going on.

"Didn't your mother ever tell you not to eavesdrop?" Neil whis­pered with a smile.

Christy winced. "Ah, well I. . . ." She smiled. "I consider it mild revenge for all the times Ruby Mae has eavesdropped on me."

"Revenge, Miss Huddleston? Now doesn't the bible say. . . ."

Christy glared at him. "Do you mind? My brother is con­cerned here."

Neil chuckled, "All right. . . ."

". . . Ruby Mae, I'm glad my sister invited you to celebrate with us," George was saying.

"Oh, me too, George. I'm much obleeged ta Miss Christy fer all she's done fer me."

"Oh, yes. She's the best. I'm pretty proud of my big sis." George paused. "Ruby Mae, do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"Na, jest me."

"What about your mother and father?'

"Ma done went off to care for her kin, never came back. Dunno where Pa is."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Do you ever see your father?" George gently asked.

"Waal, I reckon hit musta been last spring, right after my birth­day, that Pa came back, wantin' me ta come back home."

Christy winced, remembering when Duggin Morrison had wanted Ruby Mae to return to their home. How horrible it was for Ruby Mae.

"Did you go back with him?"

"For a bit. Say, George, ain't the moon right purty?" Ruby Mae asked hastily, trying to advert the subject of her father to something safer.

George, sensing her discomfort, said, "It sure is. Ruby Mae you said your birthday was in the spring. What day?"

"On March fourth, I turned sixteen," Ruby Mae said proudly.

"You're sixteen? I thought you were older."

"Why would you think a thang like that?"

"You seem to be older than the girls here, in a sense. You're also prettier than some of them."

"Me, prettier than a city-gal? Na, I reckon I'm no purtier than the possums I cook."

"You're just like a princess, to me."

Christy winced at Ruby Mae's possum response to George, but smiled at her brother as he overlooked that. Christy thought that Ruby Mae would most certainly be blushing now. _George is quite the charmer_, Christy thought.

But, he was partly right. Ruby Mae, though she didn't know how to act in a world outside of Cutter Gap, had, in some aspects, grown up more quickly than any city-girl her age. The Cove had harshly presented and forced her to accept the dark side of life as normal, from the very beginning of her existence on Earth.

And, as for her physical appearance, though not the cream-skinned, fair-haired city-girl, Ruby Mae's red hair certainly turned heads.

George continued, "Most girls here are so picky and fragile; don't do anything but go to dances and parties and fuss over this and that. They're too quiet and reserved, not adventurous and honest, like you, Ruby Mae."

"Don't ya like parties?" Ruby Mae questioned.

"Well, yeah, but I like physical activities, like horseback riding, and baseball."

"I like ridin' horses, too, George. But, a girl can't help but wanna be like Miss Christy, all pretty and smellin' nice."

"Ruby Mae, I think you're very pretty," and it was this softly spoken reply that made Christy peek through the cattails, to see George softly kissing Ruby Mae.

Christy had forgotten Neil was behind her, and that was clearly a mistake, because she suddenly felt something race up her back. She gave a shriek and fell back against him. Christy could just see Ruby Mae and George jump away from each other and head to the house be­fore she glanced up at Neil.

His eyes betrayed any innocence, and for that, Christy gave him a jab and crawled out of her spying place.

Back in the house, Neil and Christy, both refreshed from their excursion, followed the voices they heard into the parlor, where they were met with many happy faces.

Christy smiled when she noticed that Ruby Mae and George's faces were especially glowing as they exchanged dreamy glances.

"Christy, we were just talking about you," Julia said as Christy and Neil sat down. "Ruby Mae tells us you have been playing the piano. Would you play us something?"

Christy momentarily forgot that she had thought Ruby Mae was grown up, but conceded to play a few pieces. She received a wink and a smile from Neil as she sat down to play on the trusty Brewster, New York Cabinet Grand upright piano. Luckily, Christy had memo­rized all the songs she wanted to play.

After Christy had finished performing her favorite, the "Moonlight Sonata," she played "Adieu to the Piano," another song that had lured her to perfect it with its beautiful tune.

She also played a song that Keri had taught her: "The Entertainer," by Scott Joplin. Christy had very hesitantly decided to play this song, for it was harder than anything she had ever tried.

"The Entertainer," though not very popular even eleven years after it's composition, had trapped Christy with it's lively, vivacious tune the minute she had heard Keri playing it. It was this attraction that kept Christy going while tentatively memorizing it, though with many mistakes.

Christy knew it would take many more weeks of constant playing before she could execute "The Entertainer" perfectly, if that was even possible, but it was very exciting and exhilarating to play.

"Oh, Christy. That was wonderful. I see you have made good use of the books I sent you," Julia said when Christy had finished.

"Yes, Mother, thank you," Christy smiled. "You not only sent me some music to share with everyone in Cutter Gap, but you also fi­nally awakened in me the desire to play." She sat back down beside Neil, who smiled and whispered,

"You'll have to learn some Scottish tunes for me, lass."

"On one condition," she answered, "that you'll always call me 'lass.' "

"Of course, it's my pleasure." Suddenly, Margaret stood up and all was quiet.

"This Thanksgiving has been a most memorable one for me. Thank you, Mother, Neil, Christy," she said, glancing at each individual, "for giving me a second chance. I am overjoyed that the Lord sees me anew, not as I was but a few weeks ago. Thank you, William, Julia, George, for inviting me into your home to share with you this wonderful holiday. Thank you all, from the bottom of my heart."

Miss Alice wiped a tear from her eye, and Christy looked admir­ingly at Margaret.

Neil sat there with his head down and his eyes closed, giving thanks and to the Lord.

Christy sent her own prayer of thanks upward, and caught Miss Alice's eye. Christy had never the older woman so happy or proud.


	16. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

As promised, Ruby Mae was taken shopping the next day. Since Julia, Miss Alice, and Margaret had other things to tend to, Christy alone was designated, well, rather left with, the responsibility of Ruby Mae. But, Christy supposed she didn't mind being with Ruby Mae, who had slowly become the little sister Christy had always wanted.

Christy smiled, remembering how when George was a baby, she had dressed him up in a dress, decorated him with jewelry, and then renamed him Georgia.

She was jerked out of her reminiscing when Ruby Mae pulled her into yet another store.

"Oh, Miss Christy! Ain't these the purdiest things ye ever did see?" Ruby Mae gushed.

Christy looked at the ball gowns that Ruby Mae was fingering.

"They are beautiful, but don't you think a simpler dress would be better to buy?"

Ruby Mae turned from the dresses, astounded. "Ye mean you was gonna buy me a whole brand new store-bought dress?"

Christy smiled. "Of course, Ruby Mae! When you go shop­ping, you buy clothes."

"But I got no money."

Christy stepped towards Ruby Mae. "Ruby Mae, I can pay for it. It's really not that much for a simple dress here, anyway."

Ruby Mae remained firm. "No ma'am, I won't be beholdin' to ye. Them other leetle things ye bought me; waal them's all right, cuz you say they pay fer my work at the mission," Ruby Mae said, once again reaching out and running her coarse hands across the beads and embroidery on the dresses.

"Jest lookin' at these dresses pleasures me right fine, Miss Christy. I don't need no one to wear."

Christy sighed, defeated. She had gotten Ruby Mae to accept the other gifts, necessities, really, and that was satisfying enough. Christy would just give Ruby Mae one of her own dresses. "All right, Ruby Mae, we don't have to get a dress."

Ruby Mae nodded with a pleased smile. "Thank ye. Can we still look 'round a spell?"

"Of course. There is something I have to find, anyway."

"What you be looking fer?" Ruby Mae asked.

"Oh, a Christmas gift for someone," Christy said absently, her eyes scanning every clothes rack in the store.

"Fer who?"

"Ruby Mae, would you go over to the shirtwaists and look for a dark green one? If you find one, come and tell me, all right?"

"Shore," and then she bounded off.

Christy groaned and wondered if Ruby Mae would get lost in the large store. She rubbed her temples; just one more gift to get. A spe­cial gift. Christy's eyes fell upon the bargain rack. Perfect.

There were dresses with rips, stains, and buttons missing, but Christy didn't care. With a little searching in all the nooks and crannies of the racks, she came upon the perfect dress. Steel-gray and long, it had once been covered with beads. The beads had been removed as well as the many layers of skirts that had went beneath the dress in order to make it elegant ballroom material. However, the dress's defects did not matter at all to Christy

She smiled, grabbed the dress, and went in search of Ruby Mae.

"Christy! Whatever did you buy all that for?" Julia Huddleston exclaimed as Christy and Ruby Mae entered the house with armloads of bags and boxes.

Christy sent her mother a look. "Christmas, Mother."

William, George, Neil, Margaret, and Miss Alice appeared in the doorway of the porch. They had heard the commotion and had come to investigate.

"Christy, if I'd known you were going to buy that much, I would have sent our carriage with you to carry it all!"

Everyone chuckled, and then started laughing. William's com­ment itself was not all that funny, but the fact that Christy and Ruby Mae had planned a simple shopping trip only to return with a large amount of goods _was_ quite entertaining.

Christy was laughing so hard that she began to lose her bal­ance. Margaret rushed over and took some of Christy's items, as well as Ruby Mae's. Still laughing, she asked, "Where do you want these?"

"Up in my room will be fine. Thank you," Christy replied. Margaret nodded and they started up to Christy's room.

After depositing her things, Ruby Mae left for a snack, parting with,

"Thank ye, Miss Christy. This was shorely the best day of my life."

"Your welcome. I enjoyed it, too," Christy smiled.

Margaret smiled and stood up from the bed. "Seems like. . . ." Suddenly, she appeared to be short of breath, and groped for something to steady her­self. Christy rushed to her side.

"Margaret? Are you all right?"

Gasping, Margaret nodded, "Just . . . a . . . bit . . . short of . . . breath from those . . . stairs. Treatment does that to . . . to one."

"Do I need to get Miss Alice?" Christy asked concernedly; Margaret was extremely pale.

"Oh, no. I'll be . . . be fine. Please, don't tell Mother. It would only make her worry, and then she'll never make it back to Cutter Gap," Margaret said, but a small cough escaped her.

Christy wasn't convinced, but Margaret's color was slowly returning and she seemed to be breathing easier. Sighing, Christy nod­ded, "All right, I won't say anything."

Margaret grasped Christy's hand, "Thank you. Don't worry, I'll be fine. I just haven't taken my medication today yet."

Trying to lighten the mood, Christy grinned, "Well, then you'd best go down and take it."

Margaret smiled back. "Yes."

"Did you get everything put away?" Julia asked downstairs in the living room as Christy and Margaret walked in.

"Yes, of course," Christy replied to her mother, pasting on a smile to cover her worry for Margaret.

"Good. Lunch is ready. And, in honor of your last day, Christy, I have made your favorite meal: Great Aunt Louise's German Potato salad, steamed vegetables, chicken. . . ."

Christy's mind wandered to her favorite mouth watering dishes. She smiled. "Thank you, Mother. Thank you very much."

The good-byes at the train station the next morning were full of tears, promises, and hugs. Miss Alice and Margaret's parting was by far the most heart wrenching.

"Margaret, thou art on the right path. Please, please, do not lose faith. Rely on God in these upcoming times to bring you through thy treatment," Miss Alice said with firmness in her voice and tears in her eyes.

"Oh, Mother, thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving me a second chance."

"Child, that is all I ever wanted for thee."

The whistle blew and Margaret stepped up to the train. "I will write, Mother, as soon as I get settled."

Miss Alice placed her clasped hands at her lips. "As will I, Daughter."

Margaret was ushered onto the train where she sat down and waved good-bye. The train pulled out of sight and Miss Alice proudly stood on the platform, with tears and a smile dancing across her face.

She grasped Neil and Christy's hands. "Let's go home."

With a final good-bye, Neil, Christy, Miss Alice, and Ruby Mae boarded their own train.

Ruby Mae, looking forlorn, sighed and placed her hand upon the window, looking back one last time.

Miss Alice, Neil, and Christy all gave a slight smile as Ruby Mae leaned back in her seat to sleep. It looked as if she wouldn't have much to say during _this_ train ride.

Christy herself was just about to fall asleep when she remem­bered something. She reached down into her valise and pulled out the carved wooden cross for Miss Alice. For a moment, Christy gazed at the cross, allowing herself to be transported back to a time when she had been uncertain of her decision to return to Cutter Gap, and more than a bit uncertain of any feelings Neil harbored for her.

Breaking her trance, Christy smiled, holding out the gift to her mentor. "Miss Alice, I have something I've been wanting to give you."

Alice looked up, reached across the aisle, and took the cross.

"I bought this in Asheville when I visited there during the fall. I never had a chance to give it to you."

Miss Alice, staring at the article, didn't respond right away. She finally looked up.

"Christy, this is lovely. Thank you, thank you very much."

Neil, who was seated beside Christy, squeezed her hand and whispered,

"That cross brings memories for both you and Alice." It was a statement more than a question.

Christy shouldn't have been shocked by this comment; Neil could read her so well. She gazed up at him and said softly,

"Neil, you have no idea."

Miss Alice's long awaited return to the Cove was most cer­tainly a happy one. People from all around came to the mis­sion to welcome the Quaker missionary who had helped them in more ways than one could count.

Miss Alice's homecoming soon turned into an all-out, unsched­uled jollification, complete with food, dancing, and, a jug. But, almost as traditional as the jollification festivities themselves, was the breakup of moonshine by Miss Alice.

Christy and Neil, watching the confrontation from a distance, listened to the quite audible flying comments.

"Awwww, ain't nuthin' wrong with a leetle bit 'a mountain dew," one of them said.

"Ain't no jollification fit without hit," another chimed in.

"There will be no spirits flowing at this mission. Now, get rid of it, or leave this party."

"Awwww. . . ."

But Miss Alice stood firm, and soon everything was peaceful once again.

"Ah, lass, 'tis good to be home, Neil said, taking Christy's hand.

Christy smiled. "There is no place I'd rather be."

Together they stood, looking out over the people of the Cove; their friends, their family. Neil broke the peace by saying,

"I'd best be getting on to my cabin, so I'll see you later."

"Must you?"

Neil smiled. "Yes, lass, I'm afraid I must. I need to catch up on my medical calls, and see if Dan Scott had any difficulties."

"All right."

Neil kissed her good-bye and then headed to Charlie, who ea­gerly nuzzled his master for treats.

Throughout the rest of the afternoon and evening, Neil only occupied Christy's thoughts for a few moments. Everyone wanted to talk to her, and marveled at the fantasy of Asheville.

Ruby Mae's friends were also mesmerized by the things that the redhead had brought back. Later, Christy found herself smothered by questions as how to acquire "them play-purty thangs."

As the sun set and the mountains cast their shadows upon the Cove, Christy found herself wishing for Neil to be there to share the evening with. The late November air was crisp and cold, but oh, so clear.

That night, Christy's head was spinning with ideas, worries, and happy thoughts. Christmas was just a month away. There was so much to be done, school would start up again in a few days. There would be a Christmas play to create, a party for the children to plan for, as well as a Christmas jollification that the mission would hold. On top of that, Christy's family would, true to their promise, be coming to the Cove to celebrate with Christy and her friends.

Finally, her anxieties were replaced by peaceful thoughts, snowy thoughts. The idea of riding through the powdery mountainside with Neil put a smile on Christy's face and sent her into a light slumber.

Christmas peeked around the corner and jumped out at Christy sooner than she ever expected. The month flew by, and Christy im­mersed herself in school and mission work. However, though working non-stop, her dreams that night of riding through the snow with Neil did come true, and quite often. Snow in the Cove had been plentiful, but light. Everyone enjoyed it.

Though the winter courting with Neil was wonderful, Christy wondered what being a wife to him would mean. They'd talked about marriage, but agreed that, even though they had loved each other for quite sometime, others might look upon their sudden marriage with disdain.

This was especially true with Margaret's reappearance and her and Neil's recent annulment. So, Neil and Christy would remain courting until the time was right.

The time Neil and Christy spent riding through the mountains was now, closer to Christmas, spent at the mission. They decorated and decorated, and even managed to get a small tree into the mission, which was decorated by the children one afternoon during recess.

Of course, Neil and Christy did not do all the Christmas work themselves, but they probably had the best time doing it.

They tried to include David as much as they could, for he seemed more than a bit lonely. Christy wondered if something hadn't happened to him in Boston over Thanksgiving.

Finally, two days before Christmas, it was time to go pick up Christy's family. The morning dawned clear, cold, and bright. Perfect weather, to travel to El Pano, at least for December.

As Christy, Neil, and Jeb bumped down the roughhewn road in Jeb's wagon, Christy found that she was completely and totally ex­hausted. She felt as if she had literally jumped from one holiday to the next, with nothing but a hazy blur in between.

But, everything was done. The decorations were up in both the school and mission house and both buildings were squeaky clean. The children were able to recite their Christmas play quite smoothly and had completely enjoyed their Christmas party on the last day before their vacation. And, finally, Christy had all of her presents ready.

Neil, who had been talking with Jeb, looked concernedly over to the corner of the wagon bed where Christy was huddled. He knew she had been working too hard, and was too tired to be doing anything other than resting. But, she had insisted on coming with them to get her par­ents.

"Christy, lass, you are too tired to do this."

Christy jolted out of her daze. "Neil, I'm fine."

Neil hopped over the wagon seat to sit beside her. "No, you are not. Why don't you try and sleep on the way there?"

"I'm not tired," Christy grumbled. Why did he have to treat her like such a child?

Neil sighed; he knew what was going through her mind. "Christy, I am not treating you like a child. I am treating you like a po­tential patient. My doctor's eyes see that you are overly tired, and are likely to get sick. Now, I think a good sleep would help you," he said gently.

Christy looked up at him and sighed, "I'm sorry, Neil. You're right. It's just that I—"

Neil put a finger to her lips. "Shhh . . . Just sleep."

Christy smiled and leaned her head against his shoulder. A deep slumber awaited her.

Some hours later, Christy wakened to Neil's shaking. She looked around. Everything was white. She was white, and very cold. The wind was whistling loudly through the trees.

"Christy! Wake up!"

"What is it, Neil?" Christy asked groggily.

"We're not going to make it to El Pano."

"_What?_" Christy was awake now.

"The wagon might be able to make it, Christy, but we can't. We're in need of extra blankets, but we didn't pack any—"

"Because we assumed it was going to be a nice, relatively warm winter day," Christy finished, finally understanding the situation.

Neil nodded.

"So, what d-do we do?" Christy asked, shivering.

"There is a family not far from here, the MacManns. Hope­fully they will let us stay there 'til the snow stops."

"Can't we just borrow some blankets and then continue on our way?"

"No, Christy. We'll have to stay there."

"But—"

"Christy, you are shivering like a leaf. If you don't get some­where warm you'll catch your death. And, I'll wager you'll be sick as it is."

Christy gave in and nodded. Neil sighed. Christy was too stubborn for her own good.

They were soon close to the MacMann's cabin. Jeb called out, but there was no answer. He called out again, but was met with silence.

At the cabin, they got out of the wagon and Jeb knocked on the door. Again, there was no answer, or even any evidence of human in­habitance. Jeb tried the door. It was open, so they went inside. No one was there; it was as if the MacMann family had just vanished from the cabin in the middle of their life. Everything was extremely dusty, and there were several things that had been left in the middle of their use.

Christy walked softly to the table. There were dishes and sil­verware on it, and one bowl contained little pieces of dried food that appeared to be onions. Christy wondered why the mice had not nibbled on this food.

Christy was startled by Jeb's ringing call, "Helllooo!" How­ever, she knew there would be no answer.

"Well," Neil said, "the MacManns aren't here, but I don't think they'd mind if we stayed here."

"Reckon not," Jeb said as he stepped over some discarded toys.

"What about my family, Neil? They will have no idea where we are."

"Christy," Neil replied, "they will surely see that the snow has delayed us."

"I can go fetch them, Miss Christy. I'll jest borrow some blan­kets. Look's like they'd have some here."

"Oh, no, Jeb. I didn't mean—"

Neil pulled Christy aside and gently said to her, "I know you want to go, Christy, but it would be too hard on you. Let Jeb go. He can make it and get to your family just fine. You do want to get them to the mission today, don't you?

Christy nodded slightly, looking away from him.

"Christy, I am only suggesting that you stay behind for your own health. If it wasn't snowing, we could all go."

"When will it stop snowing?"

"Hopefully before dark."

"What time is it now?"

Neil glanced at his pocket watch. "Noon."

Christy sighed. Neil was right. Having Jeb go get her family now was better than having them worry the whole day, perhaps even overnight. She didn't even want to think about that.

"All right, Jeb. Go ahead," she said.

Jeb nodded, and went of in search of some blankets. After gathering three or four, he paused before heading out the door. "Doc? You be stayin' here?"

"Yes, I'll stay with Christy until you return."

Jeb grinned and winked. "All right. Be seein' ya."

Christy turned to Neil, red-faced. "Neil! What will my parents think when they find me here—"

Neil laughed. "Your parents, lass, will be grateful that you are alive, well, and rested, not sick and frozen."

Christy smiled, despite herself. Suddenly feeling dizzy, she sank onto a vacant chair.

Neil eyed her suspiciously. "'Tis a good thing I have my medical bags. You look like you're getting sick, just as I expected. Let me start a fire, then I'll examine you."

A while later, Christy felt much warmer. Pulling the blanket tightly about her, she sipped the grog Neil had made for her and asked,

"How far from El Pano are we?"

"About three miles," Neil replied cautiously, awaiting a heated remark from Christy.

"Just three miles? Neil, surely we could have made it to El Pano!"

"But, could you have made it back?" Neil asked.

Christy half-glared at him. Why was he always right? Taking another sip, she attempted to change the subject.

"Where do you think the MacManns are?"

Neil chuckled at Christy's changing the subject. But a warning glance from her dared him to make a remark. "I cannot say. They kept to themselves while they were here. No one knows much about them."

"Did they have any children?" Christy queried.

"Just one that I know of. Robert E. I treated him for pneumo­nia as a small child."

"How long ago?"

"Thirteen years. First patient I ever had in the Cove."

"Was it very bad?" Christy asked, concerned for this child of the past.

"Not extremely. I'm sure he wouldn't have died from it, even though I only made one visit to treat him."

"No one knows why they left?" Christy was quite intrigued by the MacManns.

Neil shook his head. "Nope, no one knows why. In fact, I only just remembered that they had been gone!" He chuckled, then turned serious. "Ben Pentland told me one day that he'd stopped in on them and they weren't there. Course, no one paid attention to their disappearance, what with the—" he stopped. Neil didn't want to frighten Christy.

"What?"

"It's nothing, really, Christy," Neil said, already knowing full well that he had said too much to keep it a secret, especially from her.

What was Neil keeping from her? "Neil, did someone die or anything?"

He sighed. "It's like this. Two years ago, just before Grantland arrived, many people were reporting that they had seen a giant man, about seven or eight feet tall, living in the woods.

Christy half-laughed. "That's ridiculous. There's no such human, or thing. They probably just saw a bear or something."

Neil shook his head. "Christy, I saw it myself. I was riding Charlie and saw a flash of white in the trees. I got off and chased it and caught many good looks of the man. He was a giant, and he was real."

Christy shivered. Neil wouldn't lie to her. Could this be true?

Neil gave her a reassuring smile. "Enough stories. You look considerably better after getting warm. How do you feel?"

"Much better, but," Christy said, yawning, "I'm quite tired."

"Good, you need all the rest you can get. I found this cot for you to sleep on. Not the best, but better than sleeping on the floor," Neil said, dragging an old cot close to the fire.

Christy nodded and sank onto the makeshift bed. With one last look out the window at the falling snowflakes, Christy fell asleep.

Hours later, about half an hour before sundown, Christy was awakened by the sound of a slamming door. She sat up and looked around. The fire was still burning, but Neil was not there. Jeb must have arrived! She got up, fixed her hair and stepped outside.

The faces that met her wore the same shocked look as the faces that had found her at Neil's cabin, with Becky O'Teale that stormy night so long ago.


	17. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

"Christy! What in the world are you doing?" Julia Huddleston exclaimed.

"Mother, I can explain," Christy said as calmly as she could. She held up her hand, preventing Julia from saying any more. There was quite a bit of snow all around her, and huge snowdrifts were every­where. It was quite cold, and Christy almost ran back into the cabin, but she knew she had to explain things to her mother.

"Jeb, Neil, and I were in the wagon going to El Pano to pick you up and I dozed off. I was awakened by cold and snow. Neil in­sisted I get somewhere warm, so we stopped at this cabin. Jeb offered to go ahead and fetch you. Neil stayed here with me to make sure that I did not get sick from the cold. Mother, if I hadn't gotten shelter, I would have gotten very sick."

Julia took a long, deep breath. "Very, well. I believe you. Now, why don't you say hello to the others in the wagon."

Christy blushed at her impoliteness. "Hello, Daddy, George, Lance? What are you doing here?"

Lance Livingston laughed and jumped out of the wagon to hug Christy. "I came here to visit you, of course. And," he said, motioning to the other passenger in the wagon, "this is my good friend, Hannah LeBorn."

Christy turned her eyes to the beautiful young woman in the wagon.

"Hello, Miss LeBorn. My name is Christy Huddleston."

Hannah smiled. "Lance has told me much about you. And please, call me Hannah."

Christy smiled. "Lance, Hannah, this is Dr. Neil MacNeill, the physician of the Cove," she said, motioning to Neil, who stood behind her, feeling a bit out of place. "Neil, meet Lance Livingston."

Neil nodded, but a bit warily. Who in the world was this Lance Livingston? And what did he mean to Christy?

"Christy, honey, don't you think we should be going?" Julia hurried her daughter along.

"Oh, yes, of course. Just let me go tend to the fire." She walked back into the cabin. Neil excused himself and followed her.

"Who in the world is this Lance?" Neil demanded as they extin­guished the fire.

Christy grimaced. What must Neil think? "He is a friend from Asheville, nothing more. He helped me get Bonnie, by way."

"Is that so?" Neil asked a bit angrily. Based upon what he'd just seen, Neil wondered what was between Lance and Christy, or what had been there a long time ago.

Christy leaned over and kissed him. "Neil, he knows how I feel about you. I will love you and you only forever. Come, let's get back to the mission."

"Jeb, it's pretty late. Did it take you quite a while driving through the snow?" Neil asked once they were all in the wagon.

"Like you wouldn't believe, Doc. Took me three hours to get to El Pano, three to git back here. Once 'gin, Mr., Mrs. Huddleston, I'm real sorry 'bout being late."

"Nonsense, Mr. Spencer. It's not your fault. I appreciate all the trouble you went through to get us back to the mission," William said.

Neil turned from his conversation and focused his eyes on Christy, Hannah, Lance and George. Lance's blond, blond hair and blue eyes made him quite good-looking. Once again, Neil felt a twinge of jealousy.

But, it was Hannah that caught his attention. She looked ex­actly like Christy! Of course, the setting sun cast eerie shadows all about, but there was no mistaking the resemblance.

Christy had been somewhat like Margaret, but Hannah and Christy could pass as identical twins if need be. Same stature, same thick brown-blond hair, same air of dignity and refinement. They also had the same big, beautiful eyes, even though Christy's were blue and Hannah's were hazel. Neil could also see in Hannah the same kind, gentle, giving spirit that Christy had.

"Hannah," Christy was saying, "where are you from?"

"I'm from Delaware," Hannah replied with a smile.

"Where I'm studying right now," Lance added.

"Studying to be what, Mr. Livingston?" Neil asked, joining their conversation.

"A minister," was Lance's reply.

Neil nodded his satisfaction. After getting to know David bet­ter, Neil had gained more respect for all ministers.

Quite sometime later, the snow-covered mission clearing came into their moonlit view. All were captivated by the sight.

As the drove up to the mission house, a very worried Miss Alice rushed out.

"Oh, I am so glad all of you are fine! Did the snow delay you?"

Neil explained what happened as he helped Christy out of the wagon. Everyone else also got out quickly, and the men began unload­ing the luggage. No one wanted to stay out in the cold weather, so in­troductions waited until everyone had a cup of tea around the fire.

David, who had also decided to stay in Cutter Gap for Christmas, was knocked speechless when he first saw Hannah. For fear of dropping his tea, David handed the drink to Christy before extending his hand to Hannah.

"My name is Grantland, David. I mean, David Grantland. I am the minister here."

Hannah smiled a sweetly. "My name is Hannah LeBorn."

Christy grinned. They both seemed quite taken by each other. This would be an interesting Christmas.

Then, another meeting, rather reunion, occurred. Ruby Mae, who had been sternly told by Miss Alice to finish the dishes, finally finished her duty and crept into the parlor. George let out a yelp when he saw her.

"Ruby Mae? Is that you?"

"George? You came!" They ran into each other's embrace.

Christy glanced at the guests, including her parents. Almost all of them looked a bit shocked at the "mountain-way" of greeting before them. Miss Alice, Neil, and David, however, hid smiles behind their hands.

Ruby Mae thought nothing of her actions, and George seemed to have thrown all caution to the wind. Christy smiled, but wondered, _What about Rob Allen?_ Ruby Mae had once liked him quite well, but the previous month, had been avoiding him.

After a hearty supper from Ruby Mae, everyone turned in.

Christy walked with Neil out to his horse. "Will I see you tomor­row? For breakfast perhaps?"

"No, I'm afraid not, lass. I have some work that I have to do at my cabin."

"Anything I can help you with?"

Neil winked. "Not this time."

Christy grinned. "Oh, really. And what 'work' do you have to tend to?"

"For me to know and you to find out." Neil chanted as he tight­ened the cinch.

"All right, then. Will I see you tomorrow night?"

"You can count on it." Neil brought Christy's hand to his lips. "Good night, Miss Huddleston."

Christy blushed and smiled. _Surely,_ she thought, _the night sky conceals my face._

But, Neil knew her too well. He chuckled and mounted Charlie. "Good night." Then he was enveloped by the dark.

Christy suddenly became aware of the freezing air. Listening to Neil ride away, she pulled her coat tighter and ran back into the mission.

Early afternoon, the next day, Christy offered to take Hannah and Lance on a tour of the mission. There was really nothing to tour, but a walk sounded like a nice idea.

Just as they were heading out, David appeared from the parlor, where he had been helping Miss Alice straighten a few things.

"Christy? Mind if I join you?"

Christy smiled a knowing smile. "No, not at all."

"Just let me get my coat."

As they walked to the gazebo and now frozen pond, Christy told them all about Cutter Gap and her students. David told them of the telephone he had put up and how excited the whole Cove had been when it was finished.

At the gazebo, Christy was reminded of when David first proposed to her. She looked at David, who was gazing intently out over the water. Christy hoped he would one day find someone who returned his love.

_Then again_, she thought with a smile, _maybe that day is now._

She nudged Lance. "Say, Lance, would you like to look at our horses?"

Lance grinned. "I would love to. David, Hannah, we'll be right back."

David nodded and turned nervously to Hannah. "So, Hannah, what brings you to Cutter Gap?"

Hannah tore her eyes from the snowcapped mountains and met David's questioning gaze.

"I felt as if I was being suffocated by college. I needed to get away, and Lance said he was coming here, with the Huddlestons. They offered to take me with them."

"You and Lance are quite good friends?" David asked.

Hannah nodded. "We met in Dover, where Lance is attending seminary school and where I am going to college."

David's heart sank. He had been taken by Hannah the moment he'd first seen her, and had soon discovered that she was just as beauti­ful inside as she was outwardly.

"Do the two of you have any plans?" David asked, trying to be casual.

Hannah looked up at him quizzically and chuckled. "Did you think. . . . No, I don't see Lance in that way. He has been a good friend, my confidant in difficult times. He helped me to put my trust in God, and I will always be grateful to him for that. But, I think the Lord has another special person in mind for him."

David smiled. "I'm sure He does. Now, didn't you say that you were going to college. . . ."

Down in the barn, Christy was introducing Lance to the horses.

". . . and here is Bonita, whom I have renamed Bonnie, Christy announced proudly. "How does she look?"

Lance walked observantly around the mare. "She looks good. Do you ride her everyday?"

"No, but almost," Christy replied, running her fingers through the mare's steel gray mane.

Lance nodded. "She has quite a bit more muscle tone than when I last saw her."

Christy smiled. "The horses have it quite good here, but they sure earn their keep."

"I can see that. Now, who are the others?"

"Well," Christy said as they walked towards the back of the barn, "the brown one—"

"Chestnut," Lance corrected as he focused his eyes on the horse Christy was pointing to.

Christy smiled. "The _chestnut_ one is Miss Alice's. Her name is Goldie. Miss Alice rides her everywhere."

Lance smiled as the horse looked at him with deep, soulful eyes. "What a sweet mare. How old is she?"

"Oh . . . Let's see. I . . . I really don't know," Christy struggled for an answer.

Lance stepped back and looked at the horse from a distance. Then, he examined her more closely. Grabbing the chance to teach Christy something about horses, Lance pointed at Goldie's face and asked,

"Christy, see the slight hollows above her eyes?"

Christy looked closely and nodded, running her fingers over the slight dips above Goldie's eyes.

"After horses reach past the age of about ten or eleven, those hollows will start to get deeper. Look at this horse over here—"

"Prince," Christy offered.

"Right, look at Prince. You can see that he has no hollows above his eyes. Is he about seven?"

Christy nodded; she knew that for a fact.

"Then Goldie is probably about thirteen or fourteen."

Christy smiled. "That is remarkable, Lance. Are there other ways to tell the age of a horse?"

"Oh, yes, many ways. But, I wouldn't want to bore you."

Laughing, Christy said, "I'm sure you wouldn't bore me, we'd just be here all day!"

"You're probably right! Well, should we head back to the ga­zebo and see how Hannah and David are doing?" Lance asked with a grin.

"We probably should. The jollification is in just a few hours!"

As they left the warmth of the barn and stepped out onto the snow-covered ground, Christy thought of someone that Lance would enjoy meeting.

"Lance, there is someone you'll have to meet tonight," Christy said as they were walking back to the gazebo.

"Really? Who?

"Keri Loving and Lindsey Ramsey. They came from Colorado and are going to start a horse farm in Low Gap, which is about ten miles from here. They are going to start the construction of their buildings in the spring."

"Interesting. Do they have any horses?"

"Oh, yes! I believe their names were Sassy, Charlie, and Dream."

Lance was intrigued by these women, and their horses. "What do the horses look like?"

Christy wrinkled her brow in concentration. "Well, Charlie was a beautiful red-orange color, Sassy was a chestnut, and Dream was a gorgeous cream."

Lance smiled. Christy didn't know what he was really asking for. He tried again, "I mean, how were they built? Did they look like Bonnie, fine boned and small? Or were they tall like Prince?"

"Hmmm. . . . They were all quite tall, but Charlie and Sassy seemed to be a lot bigger, as far as muscling went. Does that make sense? I don't really know what I'm talking about."

Lance nodded; he was getting a good mental picture of these horses now. "Quarter Horses," he murmured to himself.

"What?" Christy asked.

"Oh, I was just thinking that Sassy and Charlie might be a breed of horse called the Quarter Horse." At Christy's puzzled expres­sion, Lance quickly explained.

"The Quarter Horse is a smart, fast horse from out West. They are bred to be good with cattle, and to run in races."

"Why are they called Quarter Horses?"

"Well, a Quarter Horse can run a quarter mile faster than any other horse in the world."

Christy's eyes widened. "They must be really fast."

Lance nodded, and turned his attention back to Miss Loving and Miss Ramsey's horses. "What about their third horse, Dream?"

Christy smiled as she remembered the pastel colored horse. "There was something about her. . . . She seemed to move a bit differently than the others and she looked to be a bit rougher around the edges than the others. Charlie and Sassy seemed, well, more refined I guess."

Lance was intrigued even more so. What breed of horse was stocky, moved differently, and tall? He couldn't wait to meet these horses, as well as their women owners.

Hours later, after getting ready, Christy found herself in Ruby Mae's room, helping the girl with her hair.

"There we go, Ruby Mae. How is that?"

Ruby Mae twirled in front of her mirror, fingering the red curls that framed her face. "Oh, Miss Christy! It's wonderful! I'm beholdin' to you for giving me this dress."

Christy smiled. She had given Ruby Mae the dress George had seemed to like so much at Thanksgiving. "It's my pleasure. Now, do you know your lines for the play?"

As they walked down the stairs, Ruby Mae recited some of her lines to Christy.

"That's good, Ruby Mae. You are going to make a fine Mary."

"Oh, thank ye, Teacher!"

At the bottom of the stairs, Christy found Neil and George wait­ing. The others had already headed to the church.

George could not take his eyes off Ruby Mae. Ever since meet­ing her in November, George could not stop thinking about her. He had never felt this way before.

"Ruby Mae, you look—you look very beautiful tonight," he stammered.

"As do you," Neil whispered with a wink as he offered Christy his arm.

The night air was crisp and quite cold, but not cold enough to keep people away from the Christmas service, or the jollification. De­spite the snow on the ground, the skies were clear and the stars and moon shone brilliantly. It was a beautiful night.

Suddenly, a very unexpected face appeared in front of Neil and Christy.

"Dan! Whatever are you doing here?" Christy exclaimed.

Ruby Mae was just about to say something, also, but Christy said first,

"Ruby Mae, why don't you and George go on ahead to the church. Neil, Dan, and I will be there in a minute." It was a command more than a question.

Dropping his voice, Neil asked, "Is everything all right Dan?"

Dan Scott smiled broadly. "Everything is just fine, Dr. MacNeill. I aim to attend this church service tonight."

Christy swallowed back her tears and gave Dan a hug. "Dan, I am so happy you came."

"Me too, Miss Christy. Would the two of you mind walking into the church with me?" he asked nervously.

"Of course, Dan. It'd be our pleasure," Neil said. Soon, they were climbing the steps of the schoolhouse/church.

Dan felt as if his heart was going to leap out of his chest. The past couple of months had gone quite well for him. There had been no further threats from Bird's-Eye, and Dan had even managed to become quite a good friend to the Spencers and McHones.

They were at the top of the steps. Everyone became silent as Neil, Christy, and Dan strode into the church. No one said a word as Neil and Dan went to sit down by Jeb and Christy sat down beside Hannah. David smiled reassuringly at Dan as he stepped up to the pul­pit.

The whole church and its congregation were bathed in a lumi­nous glow that came from the many lanterns and candles that David had painstakingly set up.

As David began reading the Christmas story, Christy found herself easily transported back to that wonderful time. Christy never tired of hearing about Jesus' birth.

All too soon, Christy had to bring herself back to reality. It was time for the play. She gathered all her students in a corner and then sent them into their places.

The entire play went wonderfully, and everyone oohed and awed over Mountie, who was the angel. She wore a white satin dress that Miss Alice had lovingly constructed earlier.

Every child knew just what to do and when to do it, even though the three wise men, Creed, Sam Houston, and Little Burl, ended up tripping over themselves and onto the children who were dressed as animals.

As the final prayer was said, dry eyes turned to a rainbow spar­kle of tears.

"Thank you, God. Thank you so much for the birth of Jesus, thank you for sending Him here to save us," Christy whispered.

She glanced back toward the doors, dabbing her eyes, and was surprised to see the figure of a man in the moonlight who looked suspi­ciously like Bird's-Eye. But, it seemed as soon as Christy had blinked, he was gone. She looked across the aisle, and Dan caught her eye. Had he seen the man, too?

While everyone was filing out of the building, Christy hung behind and talked to Hannah, whom she hadn't had a chance to talk to yet. Christy tried to start the conversation with,

"Hannah, that is such a beautiful dress. Wherever did you get it?"

Hannah shyly fingered her cream-colored satin shirtwaist and her rosewater-colored skirt. "I made them."

"You mean you designed this? And sewed it?" Christy was surprised. The shirtwaist had intricate rose embroideries on it and the skirt was so finely constructed that Christy thought it had definitely been store-boughten.

"Yes, I did. I am studying to design ladies clothes in college," Hannah smiled.

"To sell?" Christy had never given thought to the fact that the dresses she wore were actually designed by someone else.

"Oh, yes! When I'm finished with my studies, I hope to submit my designs to many stores."

Christy smiled. "Hannah, that sounds wonderful. You are obviously very, very good at your profession."

"Thank you, Christy."

Hannah and Christy turned at the sound of footsteps, and mu­sic, coming from outside and down the schoolhouse aisle. Both Neil and David approached the women, bowed low, and asked,

"May I have this dance?"

Christy and Hannah exchanged devious glances. They both curtsied, and then Christy took David's arm, and Hannah took Neil's. Laughing, they all began to dance. The couples soon switched, and Christy was back with Neil.

"'Tis a beautiful night, lass," Neil murmured.

"I know," Christy replied, gazing up at the stars.

"I wasn't talking about the stars."

As they twirled around, Christy caught glimpses of her family and friends engaged in their activities. Lindsey, Ruby Mae, and George were all talking and eating something enticing, Dan was showing his beautiful carved animals to children, William and Julia were talking to Jeb and Fairlight, Miss Alice was overseeing the whole thing with joy, and Keri and Lance, who were also dancing, were obviously talking horses…

". . . plan to use Charlie to refine the mountain breed, without loosing their surefootedness and survival strength," Keri was saying.

"Sounds very interesting. Is Charlie a Quarter Horse?"

Keri shook her head. "No, just half."

"I see. What about your cousin, Lindsey?"

"We have planned that she will be doing most of the work in the training area, while I will be dealing with the breeding. Of course, everything will probably pretty much be shared between us."

"Christy told me you had purchased a cream horse by the name of Dream. Tell me about her," Lance probed for more informa­tion.

"Oh! Dream, or Pastel Climax, is a Tennessee Walker mare! I plan to use her as one of my foundation mares for the breed."

"So, you are breeding a line of Walkers, along with a line of mountain bred horses?"

"Yes."

"I would love to see Dream one day."

"I would like that, too," Keri smiled.

Christy smiled. Dancing under the stars with her love was the one and only place that she wanted to be. She sighed. All too soon, the song was over.

"Christy, will you come take a walk with me?" Neil asked.

"I'd be delighted," Christy answered. Arm in arm, they headed to the small bridge near the mission. The moon made everything hauntingly beautiful. She smiled. "The moon brings back so many memo­ries."

"Aye, I know what you mean." He smiled broadly. "And, what memories does the moon bring back to you?"

Christy returned his smile. "The moon will forever remind me of our chance meeting at the river when Bessie saw us. I was com­pletely mesmerized by the moon, and you."

"Oh, lass, I'll never forget how I felt that night, when I was with you. And how you were able to read me so well, when I was thinking of Margaret. You looked like an angel that night."

For a few minutes, neither said a word. Then, Neil took a deep breath and turned to face Christy squarely.

"Lass, I cannot live another day without you constantly with me, to be there for me," he pulled out a small box from his pants pocket and opened it in front of his love, "as my wife." Christy put her hand over her chest with emotion. "Christy Rudd Huddleston, will you marry me?"

Christy threw her arms around her beloved. "Yes! Yes, Neil," she breathed. Gently, Christy took the box and gazed at the endless beauty inside. The emerald and moonstones that formed a diamond had been worn to a soft sheen, reflecting lifetimes of loves and great losses.

"It belonged to my grandmother. My grandfather sent for it all the way from Denmark."

"Oh, Neil. It is beautiful. Thank you, so much," Christy said as she put the ring on her finger. It was strangely ironic that the ring David had once given her was also an emerald.

"Come on, let's go tell everyone."

No one noticed that Neil and Christy had left, and their happy return also went unnoticed. They both climbed the steps of the school­house, and Neil announced in a big voice,

"Everyone, Christy and I have an announcement to make."

All became quite. Neil and Christy smiled at each other.

"I have proposed to her, and she has accepted! We are going to be married!"

Hoops and hollers like a person would not believe filled the air. "It's about time!" Many of them shouted.

Neil once again bowed low and asked, "May I have the honor of this dance?"

"Of course," Christy smiled.

"You're not going to go off dancing with Grantland, are you?" Neil teased.

"I think David is quite busy at the moment," Christy motioned across the other dancers where David and Hannah were quietly talking.

"Aye, I think you're right."

"Doc, what would ye like ta hear? This dance is fer you and Miss Christy."

Neil looked at Christy with a gentle expression. "'Beautiful Dreamer.' Know that one Jeb?"

"Shore do. Here goes," and the strains of "Beautiful Dreamer" on the dulcimer drifted through the air.

All too soon, everyone began to leave. Christy pulled Fairlight aside before she, Jeb, and their children left.

"Fairlight? Will you come to the mission house with me real quick?"

"Of course, Christy. What you be needin'?" Fairlight asked.

"I want to show you something." Christy pulled her friend into the mission house and up to her room. Once up there, Christy pulled a brown package from under her bed. "Fairlight, this is for you. Merry Christmas."

"Oh, Christy, I canna be takin' this," Fairlight stared in awe at the package.

"Fairlight, you have done so much for me. You showed me the ways of the Cove, and who I really loved. Fairlight, if it wasn't for you, I might be unhappily married to David right now. _I'm_ greatly beholding to you for that. Please, open it."

Fairlight gently took the package and untied the strings. Then she pulled out the beautiful gray dress that Christy had purchased in Asheville. "Christy, this is the most beautiful thing I ever did see. A real, store-bought dress…"

"You deserve it, Fairlight. But, I have one favor to ask of you," Christy smiled.

Fairlight looked up from the shimmery dress that she was hold­ing to her chest. "Oh, anythang!"

"Would you be my maid of honor at my wedding? Would you wear this dress?"

Fairlight laughed with delight. "I'd jest love to! And, don't worry, I'll make sure you have the best shivaree ever," she winked.

"Shivaree? What is that, Fairlight? Is it some kind of party?" Christy had never heard of a shivaree.

Fairlight was shocked that Christy did not know this. She took her friend by the hand and they sat on the bed. "Here, Mama will ex­plain. . . ."

Hours later, after saying good-bye to Fairlight, and Neil, Christy lay in bed trying to sleep. But, she was just too wound up. Christy blushed at thought of Fairlight's explanation of the shivaree custom. The very idea. . . .

Then Christy turned her thoughts to the future. Mrs. Neil MacNeill. Christy wanted to become that more than anything in the world. It was an exhilarating and frightening thought. Christy's favor­ite daydream then entered her mind: red-haired children playing lions and tigers in front of the fire with their father, Neil MacNeill. Finally, Christy fell into dreamland. . . .

Christy was dreaming of her wedding day. It was summertime, and the birds were singing. Christy was in her room, getting ready. Her mother was with her, fixing her hair. Julia held up a mirror so Christy could see her hair. Part of her hair was in an S-type bun, the rest of it was down and waving.

Christy never had had such a vivid dream. Her wedding dress was so real she could feel it swishing about her. It was a simple satin gown with a medium length train. Though the wedding dress in Christy's other dream had been lavender, indicating relation to Margaret's dress, this one was white, with small, purple flowers sewn on the chest and veil. It was a true wedding gown, and it was stunning.

Then, it was time. Christy walked down the aisle with her fa­ther, meeting and passing many familiar faces. Keri, Lindsey, Lance and Hannah were there, as well as some of Christy's other friends from her past life of Asheville.

Her Cove friends were there, too: Opal, Tom, John and Elizabeth Holocome, Bob and Mary Allen. Then, there was Miss Alice. She was dressed in her Quaker attire, looking proudly at the young woman she had come to call a daughter. The children were there as well, giggling and smiling at their beautiful teacher.

William then handed his daughter to Neil. Christy smiled lov­ingly at Neil, who was wearing his grandfather's kilt. He looked quite handsome. The beautiful silver piece that fastened the sash ends to­gether on his shoulder gleamed in the sunlight as they stood at the ga­zebo and stepped up to take their vows.

Fairlight stood to the side, in the beautiful gray dress, and Jeb was across from her, in his Sunday best. Tom and Opal also stood facing each other, as did two other peo­ple, whom Christy did not recognize at the moment. Little Mountie, dressed in her white satin dress, held a small basket that had, moments ago, been filled with an array of mountain flower petals.

David smiled joyfully at the couple and began the ceremony. After the traditional vows were exchanged, Neil and Christy placed their wedding bands on each other's fingers, and Aunt Hattie began to sing a beautiful song, but Christy did not know what the lyrics were. Then, Neil kissed his bride, and Christy could hear very well the hoops and hollers of the men!

The couple strode down the aisle as husband and wife, and Christy was sure the sun was the brightest it had ever been. They had their pictures taken, and Neil even went so far as to have his beloved horse in a picture.

Then, Neil and Christy were dragged to a table piled with wed­ding presents. Many gifts were very practical, such as sheets, towels, and quilts. The most beautiful quilt, however, was a quilt of Fairlight's. After spreading it out, Christy could see that Fairlight had tried to recre­ate Christy's view of the mountains from her mission bedroom. That way, no matter wherever Christy went, she would always be able to look at her mountains.

Other gifts were a bit unpractical, but too beautiful not to ap­preciate. One such thing was a beautiful lace tablecloth. While it would look nice on the table in their cabin, Christy could just see Neil using it in an operation! Another gift was a large crystal statue of two horses, their necks intertwined and reaching towards the heavens. It was from Keri and Lindsey. It was almost too beautiful to be in Cutter Gap.

But, perhaps the grandest present was from Christy's parents. It was an upright piano and bench, which was filled to the brim with books. It looked as if it was made of cherry wood, polished to a beauti­ful sheen. Aside from the mission's grand piano, Christy had never seen anything more beautiful. It was then that she woke up.

It was freezing, and Christy curled up in her covers, reflecting on the dream she had just envisioned. Christy wanted her real wedding to be like her dream, so she grabbed a tablet and began to write every­thing down. After a while, she put the tablet down and bowed her head in prayer.

"Dear God, I thank you for this day, and this wonderful love that you have given Neil and myself. Thank you for the gift of my wed­ding dream, too. Thank you for guiding us under your wing, to that day when we will become intertwined as one. In your name, Amen."

Christy then shivered out of bed and dressed. Before heading down for breakfast, she momentarily lost herself in her own special view of the mountains. God had written Christy's name forever into the land, where generations would admire and remember her life, her spirit, and her faith.


	18. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Neil and Christy were married on May 2, 1914 at the mission house gazebo. The wedding was very much like Christy's dream, right down to the crystal horse gift and piano!

They had three children. Rebecca Fairlight, the oldest, was born on October 16, 1917. A beautiful tow-headed little girl, Rebecca had the special gift known as "The Confidence of Horses." Even as a very young girl, she was able to tame the wildest of horses. The other two children, twin brothers, were born on December 9, 1919. Neil and Christy named them Delwin Thomas and Levi Joshua. Both little rascals, they knew every trick and practical joke in the book. They had a good teacher, though, Creed Allen.

Hannah and Lance both reluctantly left the Cove after Christmas. However, wild horses couldn't have dragged and kept them away forever. After Lance finished ministry school, he moved perma­nently to the Cove, where he married Keri on December 31, 1921. Lance put his ministry education to work and became the preacher in Low Gap, and later, Cutter Gap. Keri was sadly unable to have any children, but she and Lance focused their lives on God.

They also played a big part in developing the modern Tennessee Walking Horse breed. Giovanni, the American Saddlebred stud, stood at Wartrace, Tennessee in 1914 and greatly refined the looks of the Tennessee Walkers with his blood. Keri's horse, Dream, was bred to Giovanni and the foal was the first modern Walker. Giovanni's Dreamer, as the foal was called, became very successful and gave the new, refined Walkers a boost in their popularity.

Hannah and David married, also. Though they did not remain in the Cove permanently, their life in Asheville, where they later moved, was a happy one. Their only daughter, Trinity, was blessed with a beautiful voice, just like her mother. Hannah and David did frequently visit the Cove, and the whole family was well loved by everyone.

Lindsey also fell in love and married. Justin Davis, a mountain horseman from Cataleechie, had lived up in an isolated valley his whole life, where he'd raised a breed of horse that was unlike any other. Even Lindsey, who'd researched every horse on earth, had never seen such horses. Justin had inbred the horses, but so carefully that only the finest and purest horses were elected into the herd. Lindsey had stumbled one day upon Justin Davis and his horses, and had gradually opened up the shy young man to the world. Though Justin's breed was never officially recognized, it played a large part in the development of the Rocky Mountain Horse breed.

Lindsey and Sassy also had great successes. In many local horse races, and some not so local, Lindsey masqueraded as a man and raced her horse. They won many races, before Lindsey finally retired Sassy to be a broodmare. Lindsey bred Sassy strictly to Quarter Horses, and the result was a foal by the name of Gossip Avenue, the grand­mother of Three Bars, one of the foundation Quarter Horse studs of the modern breed.

Lindsey and Justin had one child, a boy by the name of Real. He was a very talented artist, and traveled the world when he was older.

Dan and Cecile married in Cutter Gap, and spent a few years doctoring and teaching the people, before they headed back to their only true home, Freedom, Kentucky. They were sorely missed, and even Bird's-Eye expressed his regrets at their departure. Dan and Bird's-Eye, though never friends, had been in situations together where their blind trust in each other was all they had.

As for Ruby Mae and George, they never did marry. Both sadly grew apart from each other. Perhaps the different worlds they came from prevented them from ever sharing a life together, but they always remained good friends.

However, Ruby Mae did marry Rob Allen, and they had two daughters, Sondra Lee and Danielle Eve.

Also, with the money Neil received from the Scotland Stock Market, he built a large clinic at the mission, where he was easily able to treat his patients and perform operations. He also built a smaller building near his and Christy's cabin. This was his laboratory, where he continued to research trachoma, with great success.

The Cove was put through wars, diseases, and politicians, but it never lost its soul: its people and their heritage.

1


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